ScreenDreamer LLC Success Notes

Updating Your Website is as Important as Updating Your Wardrobe

As a realtor, you probably understand that first impressions are important. Each morning you most likely shower, brush your teeth, style your hair and put on a nice suit and pair of shoes. After all, no one wants to buy a home from someone who looks like a complete mess—first impressions matter. 

 

A visit to your website is more often than not the first time a prospect will be exposed to you and your listings.

 

It’s common sense not to show up to an open house wearing a ten year old lime green suit and shoes lined with holes—but are you putting as much effort into your website as you are into your wardrobe? You should be! Don’t allow your homepage to become the biggest “fashion don’t” of the World Wide Web. 

 

Your site needs to be updated often! 

 

Dressing Up for the Occasion 

 

Since the holiday season is finishing up, you’re probably pretty tired from decorating your tree, hanging stockings and putting up other decorations. Maybe you even coordinated holiday colors into your wardrobe for some added cheer. 

 

During holidays, don’t leave your website feeling bare! Put up festive graphics or add a seasonal color scheme that will keep your site looking fresh and current.

 

Are you too busy to constantly be touching up your site? Think long term--a Christmas theme, for example, will only be appropriate for about a month, but a winter theme: snowflakes, snowmen, etc. will last you through February. 

 

 

 

 

“That’s so last season”

 

A new and eager prospect has just entered your site. The first thing that catches their eye is a giant banner that says “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”. As lovely as that sounds, there is just one problem, it’s July. 

 

The only thing worse than having nothing eye catching on your site is having something out-dated. When you allow your site to clearly look like it hasn’t been updated in months, prospects may take that as a sign that you are lazy or behind the times. If you’re not keeping your site current, it makes people begin to question if you’re behind in other areas of your business as well.

 

 

Showcase Your Best Stuff

 

Your site isn’t about you, but rather about the homes that you have to offer and how those listings can satisfy your clients’ needs. Make it simple for prospects to find what they came for: listings about new homes. 

 

Always remember to:

 

• Update Your MLS
• Make sure that all Your Listings have Pictures
• Take Interior Pictures to spark added interest
• Display a rotation of listings on your main page
• Showcase other services that you offer

 

 

 

 

Be Picture Perfect: Dress for Success Online

 

Although your listings and brand should be your site’s main focus, there are bound to be some photographs of you on the site, probably in a biography or “about me” section. Keep the pictures modern and appropriate. 

 

Don’t use your high school yearbook photo just because it’s your favorite--no one wants to feel deceived. It’s okay if you’re not Kate Moss or George Clooney’s twin; let your clients get to know the real you, you’re fabulous! 

 

However, your picture needs to portray you as the professional and successful realtor that you are. Make sure that in your photo you are wearing proper attire: when in doubt just stick with a traditional suit. 

 

 

Clearance: Half off for a Limited Time Only!

 

When you’re out shopping there is nothing more exciting than finding exactly what you need for half price. Imagine you spot the perfect suit in a store front window with a giant 50% off sign right next to it. When you bring it up to the cashier however, he or she informs you that the sign was old. The sale ended last week, but they forgot to remove the sign. Whoops, their mistake.

 

At this point you are rightfully disgruntled and angry. 

 

Don’t allow your website to mimic that disappointing store front. Leaving old promotions on your website is a sure fire way to anger prospects and clients. Stay on top of your time sensitive offers to keep in good graces with your site visitors. 

 

 

Remember: Your website is an online reflection of who you are and how your company operates. Updating your site often is a practice that never goes out of style.

 

 

 

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For the Sidebar:

 

*Set aside one hour a week to review your site. Change out dated content and write a new tip or small article to keep your visitors interested*

 

 

Email Marketing 101: ScreenDreamer University Style

You may be under the impression that email marketing is more simplistic than other types of marketing. In reality, email marketing takes just as much planning and precision as other campaigns.  Don’t get lost in the “instant factor” associated with the Internet. Although mass email pieces can instantly be sent and received, the planning process should be far from just the click of a button. 

 

Are you writing eye catching subject lines? Are you sending your campaigns out at the right times? Have you been using the proper mass email software?

 

Don’t allow your marketing efforts to wind up like yesterday’s spam. 

 

Go to the Head of the Class: Let your message stand out

 

Maybe you’ve spent hours working on content and have finally come up with the perfect message. Don’t let your most important points get mixed in with other mumbo jumbo. 

Remember—you’re writing an email campaign, not a term paper. Be straight forward and to the point. Go for quality over quantity. 

 

When writing an email campaign, allow the space bar to be your friend.  The average consumer receives a ton of emails everyday; they most likely do not have time to read every email they choose to open word for word. Make it easy for people to skim. By properly spacing your text, your clients’ eyes can skip around to the most important parts. 

 

Readers shouldn’t have to feel like they are taking a pop quiz. No one wants to guess what the most important part of your message is: make a bold impression by showing them. Making your text bold, italicized or underlined are great methods of attracting readers to that part of the paragraph.

 

 You can also use a fancy font or write in a different color, but please use those last two tips with caution. There are some fonts and colors that are a little too over the top. You don’t want to

strain consumers’ eyes. 

 

I will not Spam, I will not Spam

 

One of the worst possible scenarios you can encounter as an email marketer is to have your marketing piece mistaken for spam. Spam or spam like material is annoying to consumers and can be disastrous for you as well. If you try to send out a mass amount of emails from your own domain, you risk your domain name and the server being black listed and also put the server in a position where it could crash.

 

Customer Relationship Management software such as Salesforce.com has professional mass email resources.

 

 Online marketing services such as Vertical Response also make it easy to send template and freeform mass email campaigns. Anyone from a computer novice to and HTML genius can send out quality campaigns that the site approves to ensure that they do not resemble spam. 

 

Pay Attention!
 

When you open your email box each day, you probably are met with a long list of titles. How do you decide what messages to open and what emails to delete? You probably open those with the most intriguing or relevant subject lines. Remember, especially when marketing to prospects, you’re a stranger with an unfamiliar email address competing among the familiar addresses in the prospects’ mail box. Make sure your subject line is attention grabbing! 

 

Once you convince a prospect to open your email, you need to grab their attention yet again. If the general look and feel of your piece is boring, they will close the email with out ever reading it. Strategically placing some relevant graphics is a great way to spice up your text. 

 

Saved by the Bell: Don’t be late, Timing is Everything

Timing plays a big part in email marketing. Two of the best times to launch campaigns are on week day mornings Tuesday through Thursday or right after lunch. Those are high traffic times when many workers check their mail boxes. 

 

When possible, avoid launching on Fridays! That late in the week many people may feel rushed at work to finish projects before the weekend. You will also miss out on reaching those who have decided to take a long weekend. 

 

Launching materials on weekends or Monday mornings is often a bad idea. Some consumers do not have time to check their email on weekends and by Monday morning their inbox could have hundreds of messages. Your message could get lost in the clutter.

 

When sending out a time sensitive promotion, launch your email far enough in advance so that consumers have ample time to sign up or respond. 

 

 

For extra credit, click here!

Your prospects have read your email, now what? Will they remember to call you later? Do they have enough time to search for your web site? Providing clickable links to your page is a great way to prolong a readers’ stay. You can even place links to sign up forms so prospects can inquire further information about what you’re offering.

Your Recipe for Holiday Marketing Success

As the holidays approach, you’re probably feeling pulled in a million directions: not only are you dealing with your normal work and home routines, but now you have big holidays meals to plan, presents to buy and decorating challenges to undertake.

 

Your first thought may be that your clients are as busy as you are; that maybe they don’t want to be bothered with your marketing efforts. That type of thinking is only half right; clients don’t want to be bothered with your standard marketing materials. You need to spice it up a little this time of year. 

 

The holidays are a special time of year for everyone. What better way to keep in a client’s good graces then to take time out of your bustling holiday schedule to send them something? Remember, your clients are more then walking dollar signs, they are people and people love to be thought of. So wither it’s a simple card or a holiday promotion, don’t forget to your clients this holiday season.

 

So before you open grandma’s cookbook to start making her famous stuffing, click here to learn about your recipe for holiday marketing success. 

 

 

And while we have you here…

 

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones! We’d also like to thank you for choosing ScreenDreamer for your internet marketing and website needs. Enjoy the holiday season! 

 

 

Your Recipe for

Holiday

Marketing Success

 

Serves: Your Client Base

 

What you’ll need:

 

-One Cup of Genuine

Holiday

Cheer

-A Teaspoon of Website Decoration

-8 ounces of Thankfulness

-A Half a Cup of Promotional Offers

-A Dash of the Right Timing

-A Pinch of Your Own Spin

 

 

Start off with One Large Cup of

Holiday

Cheer:

 

This key part of the recipe holds the entire message together. Don’t become so caught up with the other details that you forget to say “Have a Great Thanksgiving” or “Happy Holidays”. Your clients want to know that you are thinking of them and that you wish them well during this joyous time of year. This can easily be achieved with a nice banner or graphic in a marketing piece or by sending out cards or e-cards to your entire client base.

 

Add a Teaspoon of Website Decoration:

 

As an agent or broker with many listings to display, your website probably plays a large part in your success. It doesn’t take long to add a graphic of a turkey or a festive wreath to your homepage. A small touch like this can bring a smile to the face of a client or future prospect. It also shows web surfers that you keep your site current.

 

Now Mix in 8 Ounces of Thankfulness:

 

When you were a kid, your parents probably taught you that the holidays are a time to be thankful for what you have. Sometimes as an adult you can become so busy that it is easy to forget this rule. When you take the time to think about it, your clients are probably at the top of the list of things you have to be thankful for. With out them, you wouldn’t have a successful business. A holiday marketing campaign is a great time to simply say to your clients “Thank You for Your Business”. Remember, if you don’t show your customers how much you appreciate them, they can easily go find a competitor who does. 

 

 

 

 

Pour in Half a Cup of Promotional Offers:

 

The holidays can get expensive. Offer your clients an incentive to make a transaction around the holidays or even in the future. It can be anything from a small discount to a free consultation of some type. If that’s not feasible, you can also send them a small free gift just to say thanks. 

 

Throw in a Dash of the Right Timing

 

You can have the best holiday marketing piece in the world, but if you send it out at 2pm on Thanksgiving, your clients will be too busy eating turkey and pie to care. Think about it logically, will you be thinking about work on the actual date of a holiday? Send out electronic campaigns a few days in advance when a majority of clients will still be in the office with time to appreciate it. Make sure to send out direct mail pieces far enough in advance so that they will be delivered before the holiday, postal services can be busy during this season. No one wants to receive a Christmas card on New Year’s Eve.

 

Before You Serve this Dish to Your Clients, Don’t Forget to Include a Pinch of Your Own Spin

 

Email marketing campaigns, direct mail campaigns and good old fashion holiday cards can be effective, but also boring. It’s okay to use these mediums, but make sure to add something original to stand out from the efforts of competitors. Try a funny picture, a joke, a quote or anything else that will make your clients remember and appreciate your campaign. Don’t let your hard work get lost in their inbox or pile of holiday cards. 

 Once you have all the ingredients in place, send your finished product out to clients and enjoy the holiday season!

Hit the Bull’s Eye Every Time: Know Your Target Market

As a real estate agent who works on commission, it’s probably very important for you to sell a certain number of properties each year. Many people assume that having a fantastic product is the key to meeting a sales quota. Although that’s part of the mix, having a great product doesn’t matter if you’re not marketing that item to the right people.

 

Let’s think about the perfect product for a real estate agent like you. Perhaps it’s a four bedroom colonial with a large price tag in a gorgeous suburban neighborhood, inside the boundaries of a school district that mothers would kill to get their children into. Now ask yourself, who can I sell a property like that to? Your initial thought might be “anyone” or “who wouldn’t want to buy a house like that?” When you have that mind set, you aren’t thinking like a marketer. 

 

Not just anyone will purchase that property. If the audience you are marketing to can’t afford to buy the house or has no real need for it, you will have a problem selling it. 

 

If you want to be a successful agent and marketer, you need to learn how to hit your target market every time you advertise your agency or promote your listings.

 

Tired of missing the bull’s eye? 

 

What do you mean I can’t market to everyone?

 

Let’s get back to the house described in the body of email; the nearly flawless colonial in the ideal neighborhood. Although the property may be appealing to a majority of people, you won’t be able to close the deal if you’re doing business with twenty-three year old newly weds with no equity and a combined total of $60,000 in student loan debt to boot.

 

 How consumers in general feel about your property doesn’t matter, you need to hone in on those who have needs, wants and desires that can be satisfied by owning such a home. Forget about marketing to everyone; focus on a specific group of “someones”. 

 

Who are these people? How do I choose them? 

 

The best way to start finding your target market is to gather data. Look at the general area your agency lists homes in: is it urban, suburban or rural? What is the average home price in the community? Are there reputable schools?

 

Then you need to obtain demographic information about the people currently living in that area so you can market to prospects who fit a similar mold. What is the average household income in the area? What ethnicities are prevalent in the town? Other important areas of information to examine are the residents’ marital status, age brackets, religion, education, occupation and over all life style.

 

 

But how do I go about actually obtaining the information?

 

Basic demographic information such as age or income brackets can be obtained from the census bureau. Developing and administering consumer surveys in the area is another effective method. 

 

As for obtaining the more in depth information about lifestyle and buying behavior, a focus group is usually the best bet. During a focus group, the person hosting the session can ask a group of consumers questions face to face. If you want the best results, let a third party administer the questions. If you allow an internal member of your agency to be the host, they may unconsciously word questions in an influential way. 

 

 Focus groups are useful because you can acquire a lot of qualitative information that will give you a more in depth look at consumer feelings. You can also see if group members are influenced by the opinions of others in the group. 

 

Both surveys and focus groups take up consumers’ time, so it is nice to offer a small incentive for people to participate. 

 

I have the information. Now what?

 

Based on the information you’ve gathered, you can now calculate and analyze the data to determine your target market. 

 

For example, you can say:

 

My target market is made up of males, ages 28-38 who are living in the

Delaware

Valley

. They are employed and have incomes of $50,000 or higher. They are also married with zero to two children.

 

If you want to get really detailed, you can even analyze your target consumer. This is the ideal person who would need the type of properties that you are selling.

 

You can say:

 

My target consumer is a man, age 30 living in

Philadelphia

,

Pennsylvania

. He works in business and earns an income of $75,000. He is married and has two children. He enjoys traveling, boating and working out. 

 

Finding your target is a vital part of the marketing process. Of course, sometimes people who do not fit this mold will purchase one of your properties. However, you can let your target be your focus. Throwing your ideas out there to everyone is way too vague. If you market to everyone, you risk your message getting lost in media clutter and even qualified buyers may fail to see it.

 

Wait! One more question: How do I apply these findings to my marketing efforts? 

 

There are two main ways that target market information can benefit your marketing materials. First of all, you can use it to fine tune your message so that it will spark the attention of potentially interested people.

 

What kind of slogans would the members of your target market find interesting? What type of jargon do they understand? Remember, words and phrases can vary based on geographic regions or age brackets. You need to make sure you are speaking in your target audience’s language. It’s not their job to understand how you think; it’s your job to convey the message the way they think. 

 

You can also use the information to make sure you are selecting the mediums that your target market is mostly likely to see. If your target market is the 65 and over crowd, the internet probably isn’t the best medium to select. 

 

Do the members of your target group drive to work everyday? If so maybe it’s a good idea to place an ad on a billboard. Is your target market a group of 30 years old men? If the answer is yes, it would probably be a poor idea to advertise in a women’s magazine. You get the idea; use these statistics to your advantage. Get the most bang for your buck out of your advertising and marketing dollars by placing messages where your target audience is already looking. 

You’re so Vain, You Probably Think this Blog is about You

If you’re still reading, you’re either a Carly Simon fan or you’re wondering why you’re being called vain. You’re actually not vain at all; you’re just reading the way the average consumer does—you automatically associated the word you with yourself personally.

 

As an agent, you’ve probably heard time and again that your site needs to be filled with great content. When preparing your content, it’s important to remember that sometimes what you say isn’t nearly as important as how you say it.

 

When you’re marketing your listings and your brand, it’s vital that you use a certain tone to connect with your target audience. Writing in the second person is often the key to keeping your content conversational and personal.

 

“Wow, That’s Me!”

Writing in the second person using the word you and other forms of the word such as your and you’re works to personalize your content. When consumers see an advertisement or marketing campaign that contains the word you, they associate the “you” with themselves. It also makes it sound like you are speaking directly to each person who reads the content. Consumers need you to form a one on one relationship with them; they do not want to be viewed as just another dollar sign.

 

Take a look at the following example content:

 

Have you been searching for a home in

Burlington County

,

New Jersey

? If so, you’ve come to the right place.  Whether you’re looking for a new construction home in

Mount

Laurel

, a townhouse in Delran or a colonial in

Moorestown

there is something here for you. You can search thousands of listings by school district, town or price range to find homes that will meet your needs.

 

When a target consumer who is looking for a house in

Burlington

County

reads that paragraph, they’ll say to themselves “Wow, that’s me they’re talking about!” Even though you can’t use the first name of every visitor that comes to your site, you can still make it feel personal.

 

 

If writing in the second person achieves such a great connection with readers, you’re probably wondering…

 

 

What does writing in the first or third person imply?

The first person can often make you or your company seem a little too self-centered. You have to remember that your website should be written to reflect the consumers’ needs; it can’t just be a showcase about how wonderful you are.

 

Let’s take a look at some sample content that is similar to the first example, but written in the first person:

 

My website offers great homes in

Burlington County

,

New   Jersey

. I have a wide selection of new construction homes in

Mount

Laurel

, townhouses in Delran and colonials in

Moorestown

. I have thousands of listings that can be searched by school district, town or price range.

 

As you can see, this example is still displaying the same over all information, but is failing to relate it to the needs of potential clients.

 

There are two major issues that can surround the incorrect use of the third person: the first is that the message can be too vague. Who are “they”? When a consumer reads the word they, it can often lead to them associating that word with someone else, not themselves. Your prospects don’t care about anyone else; they need to find a house for themselves.

 

The other issue that can arise is that the focus of the content will seem to shift to the product you are marketing, in your case a property, instead of the clients needs. Consumers don’t want to read general information about random properties or your services. They want to know how your services and the right property can satisfy their current need for a new home.

 

Read over this final content sample written in the third person:

 

Visitors-- this website offers great homes in

Burlington County

,

New Jersey

. The site has a wide selection of new construction homes in

Mount

Laurel

, townhouses in Delran and colonials in

Moorestown

. They can search thousands of listings by school district, town or price range.

 

Again, the same base content is there, but the message sounds too generic. You can have the most valuable message in the world, but if it isn’t clear who you are branding the information to, the importance will be lost.

 

 

One last tip…

 

 

The “You” is Important, but it isn’t everything

 

Although writing in the second person can enhance your writing and market efforts it’s not the be all and end all of creating a good campaign or interesting web content. Writing in the second person isn’t enough to compensate for over all poor writing skills, spelling mistakes, amateur marketing ploys or irrelevant concepts. The “you” is meant to improve on already stellar ideas, don’t be fooled into thinking that it is the automatic cure for otherwise horrendous content.

 

When using the “you” remember that you still have to write with care. There is nothing cheesier then becoming a “you-o-holic”: someone who tosses around the word “you” as their sole method of influencing customers. Your clients and prospects may not necessarily be marketers, but they also aren’t idiots, they will see right through it. Once you get a good grip on using the “you”, develop your own writing style that will allow consumers to become comfortable on your site.

 

Effective content should read as easy as a conversation with a good friend. Writing marketing content does have some standard foundations, but it isn’t entirely about a set of rules, make sure you put a little of yourself into everything you write. Don’t just act like you’re interested in your customers’ needs, actually be interested and have content which reflects that. Providing content that helps to establish a genuine relationship with consumers is the best way to turn site visitors into clients.

The Advantages Of Email Marketing

 

As a real estate agent, it’s important to remember that you are also a marketer. If you want to be successful in this competitive field you need to be constantly thinking of ways to market yourself and your listings. The Internet is often the perfect marketing medium for a realtor. Email marketing campaigns give you personal and instant contact with your prospects and clients. There are so many marketing options available that it may seem stressful to find the right plan for your current campaign. Check out six reasons why email marketing campaigns are beneficial to  real estate professionals:

 

The Internet: Your Target Consumers are already Logged On

 

In recent years, the World Wide Web has grown to be the number one medium replacing old favorites such as newspaper and television. The number of hours Americans spend online continues to grow, largely in part to the Internet’s vital role in the work place. Many qualified home buyers, who have the money and credit to make such a major purchase, spend a majority of their week at work in front of a computer. Don’t expect these potential clients to waste their time flipping through a magazine or newspaper to find your ad. Deliver your message straight to their inbox. Think about your own morning routine at the office, checking your email is probably one of the first things you do every single day.

 

The Cheapest Vehicle on the Road to Marketability

 

Unless you’re working for some type of gigantic real estate mogul, you probably don’t have a lot of money to spend on fancy television commercials or sky high billboards. Maybe you’ve already spent plenty of time brainstorming and have come up with some great ideas to market yourself and your listings. That’s well and good, but what many people fail to do is evaluate the most cost effective media vehicle to get their message out to their target market. Many of the older marketing mediums such as direct mail, print and television come with a high cost of production and materials. Not to mention the amount of time that it takes to get those types of campaigns off the ground. If time and money are precious to you, don’t forget about the exceptional value of an email marketing campaign. 

 

The Direct Connection to Your Website

 

Imagine a potential customer is commuting to work and she sees your name and face on a billboard. She is interested in buying a house soon and makes a mental note to self to check out your website. After a long day of working, picking up the kids at soccer practice and cooking dinner, the prospect sits down at her computer to search for a new home. One problem: She can’t seem to remember the name she saw on the billboard this morning. She decides to do a web search instead and ends up contacting a competitor. Email marketing will help you to avoid the above scenario because you can include links to your website or listings directly in the email. Your potential clients are most likely as busy as you are; you need to make it convenient for them to contact you. Web links make it easy to visit your site instantly or to save the information for later. This is also a great way to increase site traffic!

 

Effectiveness that you can Count on

 

If you’re going to put time and effort into marketing campaigns, you want to make sure that you are getting the results that you need. How many people drive past your billboard every day? How many prospects simply threw away the direct mail campaign that took you days to execute? Finding an accurate answer to these questions may be difficult or even impossible. Email marketing campaigns on the other hand can be very easy to track. There are programs and tools available that with a click of a button allow you to see how many people opened your email campaign as well as measure click through and conversion rates. Spend less time tracking campaign results and more time doing what you do best, selling properties. 

 

It’s the Personal Touch that Makes the Difference

 

It’s important to remember that there are tons of real estate agents out there and that each client is making the decision to do business with you instead of a competitor. In return, it is important to treat each customer as an individual, not just another name on a list. Having a good customer relationship management system will help you keep track of client inquiries. If you know where in the buying process a customer is, you can send the campaign to only those clients who will benefit from it. Sometimes in other marketing campaigns, such as print campaigns, the message may appear to be directed towards everyone. There are email marketing tools available that allow each mail to be addressed to a specific client. This personalizes the campaign, making the recipient feel like it is a letter directed only to them, not just random spam. 

 

An Instant Reminder

 

Email marketing is the best way to give clients an instant reminder of your brand. You won’t have to wait to start seeing results--interested recipients can immediately open your campaign and respond. A direct mail campaign can take days or even more then a week to reach your prospects. By that time, the recipient could have already made the decision to do business with someone else. In a fast paced industry like real estate, where properties can move quickly, you just can’t afford to wait that long to touch base with your clientele. 

 

 

 

In this internet savvy market place, many of your competitors probably already use email marketing campaigns on a regular basis. Don’t fall behind! Start taking advantage of email marketing campaigns today for a better way to stay in touch with clients, maintain your brand image and more. When you’re a real estate agent on the go, the other mediums just don’t compare.