You are here: Home / Blog

Using the “Embed” Code from Pinterest

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I love that you can embed “pins” from Pinterest (that’s a link to my boards) which just makes everything so much more shareable (spell check HATES that word).  I thought what better way to show you how easy it is, than to use this picture I pinned today of my French Bulldog, Maggie Mae:

Source: twitter.com via April on Pinterest

To do this, find a picture that you want to share from Pinterest and click on it.  You’ll get a pop-screen with that pin on it, with some choices off the the right such as “Like”, “Tweet”, “Embed”, “Report Pin”, and “Email”.  Click on “Embed”, choose your dimension, copy and paste into the HTML editor of your blog.  Super easy, and now everyone gets to enjoy Maggie.

Filed Under: Coffee with a VA, Real Estate S & M Tagged With: ,

Chicks Love Geeks!

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s a well known fact that Chicks love Geeks.  Happy National Star Wars Day!!

Filed Under: Coffee with a VA Tagged With: ,

Jumbo Postcard Design Samples

May 2, 2012 By 1 Comment

Beautiful samples of Virtual Assistant Chick’s Jumbo Postcard Designs:

Filed Under: Client Creations, Templates

15 Ways to Repurpose Content and Add More Value

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Fabienne Fredrickson

As a busy entrepreneur, you are probably creating articles, programs and teleclasses to provide value and attract more clients.But did you know your materials have more life to them than a one-time use?

To make the most of your productivity, you want to find ways to leverage these creations to get even more out of them. I’m going to share a number of the ways you can repurpose your materials to make them work harder for you.

  1. Combine blog posts to create an ebook
  2. Record yourself reading your ebook to make an audio product
  3. Have your recorded teleclass transcribed into an ebook
  4. Record yourself reading a blog post and post the audio to iTunes
  5. Convert your ebook into a Kindle or Nook ebook
  6. Write a series of articles for your blog, and then create a home study course out of them
  7. Record a teleclass to promote a new program and then have it edited to be a bonus recording for another program
  8. Convert a teleclass series into a home study course
  9. Videotape a live workshop and sell it as a new product for those who couldn’t make the live event
  10. Keep copies of your recorded interviews and create a resource library for a membership site
  11. Create a video series for YouTube from a series of articles that were first on your blog
  12. Add your video series to the library on your membership site
  13. Start recording video ezines and then add those videos to your membership site as well
  14. Run a Q&A teleclass and let each segment inspire you to write an article for your blog
  15. Write articles to post on article directories and reuse them for guest blog posts on other bloggers’ sites

This is really the tip of the iceberg in terms of repurposing your materials. I’m sure you can think of many more. Why work hard when you can leverage what you have already created? Be smart to make the most of your time.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

What materials do you already have completed? Now think of five different ways you could use them again to stretch their value and leverage your efforts.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Filed Under: Ditch Your Desk, Escape the Paper

Download This Free Buyer’s Guide

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Trulia is offering a free buyer’s guide for you to download and put on your website or offer to buyer’s who need more information before they buy.

Download and Share: Preparing to Buy

Buyers want information, and agents who can offer it quickly are much more likely to win their business.

Download and share this free guide to credit, neighborhoods, and down payments to help you start winning more prospects today.

Filed Under: Real Estate Info

Become the Expert by Recycling Your Real Estate Articles

April 9, 2012 By 5 Comments

Most Real Estate Agents write a blog post or article, post it and forget it.  Doing this creates more work for you and time lost.  Instead, focus on writing really good articles and then recycle them over and over again to spread your message and get more out of each one.

Start by writing 3 really good articles that answer the questions the people in your target market are asking.   Now is the time to position yourself as the  expert and really think about the problems that these people face, the issues that you can help them solve (are they facing foreclosure?), what is stopping them from reaching out to you, what is making them angry or upset.

Brainstorm a bit, talk to people in your area about what they think, and then write all of your answers down on paper or a whiteboard.

When you sit down to write your first article, try to be very specific about their problems.  Get really detailed about it so that they can feel it; trigger an emotion that says “Yes!  This person understands my problem!  He’s not just a Real Estate Agent who is after my money, he cares about my community!”

Be authentic, be real, and be genuinely concerned.

Now do it again, two more times.  If you need time in between articles, that’s okay, just make sure to schedule some quiet writing time into your calendar so that it will actually get done.

Now here is where the recycling comes in:

Remember to be as definitive as possible.  When you are clear about solving someone’s problem, the reader or viewer will be forced to think if it will solve their problem AND if it will help anyone they know.

If you know that this will help you, but you know you’re just too busy to do it all yourself, go to the Work With Me page and schedule a quick phone call to see how we can help you.

 

Filed Under: Coffee with a VA, Real Estate Info, Real Estate S & M

The 5 Essentials of Effective Contact Management

April 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

The following article was posted on AgentBeat last week, and it fits so well into  what I want my clients to know, that I’ve reposted here.  The original article can be viewed on AgentBeat here.

 

1x1.trans The 5 essentials of effective contact management

Effective contact management

Do you know what contact management really entails? Think you’re doing it correctly? In this article I’ll discuss the five essential components of effective contact management. Effective contact management will help you to convert more leads into clients and maximize the amount of referrals and repeat business you get year over year.

Having a consolidated database

I speak with real estate sales professionals daily who have client and prospect contact information scattered in many different areas: Outlook, their iPhone, their website, pieces of paper, etc. Without a consolidated database, these REALTORS® waste far too much time hunting for the information they need to manage their business – often hours a day.

A solid, well-managed database can be worth more than a million dollars in real estate commissions over as little as 10 years. In fact, the only real tangible asset Realtors have is their database. Upon retirement, a well-managed database that produces a six-figure income in referral and repeat business year after year can be sold for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Having a consolidated database is extremely important. It’s actually the foundation of effective contact management and the starting point to building a truly successful business based largely from referrals and repeat clients. Without a consolidated database, it’s hard to stay organized and manage time effectively. Lacking a consolidated database, it’s almost impossible to master the four other “essentials of effective contact management” I’m going to discuss below.

Categorizing and segmenting contacts

Once you’ve consolidated all your contacts into one database, the next step is to categorize them appropriately. At the most basic level, this might entail categorizing people as either Clients, Prospects, Personal, or Business-to-Business. Another popular approach is to apply the 80/20 Rule by segmenting your contacts as either “A List” or “B List.” More advanced segmentation can include creation of community groups such as former work colleagues, church group contacts, people in your baseball league, etc.

The big benefit of segmenting and categorizing your contacts is that it allows you to communicate with specific groups of people in a way that is more personalized, relevant and timely than the dreaded “batch and blast” approach. When your mass communications are relevant to the people receiving them, they are far more likely to be opened and appreciated, and hence far more effective from a marketing perspective.

Keeping in touch with past clients

You may have heard the idiom that it takes seven times the amount of time, money, and energy to acquire a new client then it does to keep an existing one. The saying is very true. It’s your responsibility to stay “top of mind” with past clients and make sure that they don’t forget you. Your clients are likely meeting real estate agents through friends and family members, hearing others recommend Joe Smith’s Realty Services down the road, seeing billboards and posters of Realtors boasting that they’re number one. So, don’t automatically assume that a client who you’ve helped to buy a home five years ago will remember you and call you up again next time they need a real estate agent.

It’s in your best interest to ensure that you have the right technology, such as a contact management system, and a plan in place, so you can keep in touch with past clients effectively.

So, how should you keep in touch? Schedule quarterly keep in touch calls (better yet, try to call one past client each day), send out a monthly e-Newsletter, send direct marketing pieces to your best past clients, plan client appreciation events and various educational seminars, use social media, the possibilities are endless. A good contact management system (my specialty) will make organizing and executing all of this as easy as possible. I recommend that you make contact with your past clients at least 17 times per year.

Make sure that when you reach out to past clients, whether through a phone call, email, or any other method, that it’s all about them, not about you. You don’t want to keep in touch with them by always promoting your services and how great you are. Send out an e-Newsletter with helpful and interesting articles on home decorating, for example. Make a call to ask if they need any recommendations on a business professional such as a Plumber or Landscaper.

Assigning leads to marketing plans

As soon as you get a new lead, enter them in your CRM immediately and then assign them to an “automated lead nurture marketing plan” (also known as a marketing Activity Plan).

A lead nurture marketing plan consists of a number of emails and phone calls at regular intervals over time. The emails are sent automatically (also called “drip email), which means that you don’t have to worry about remembering to keep in touch with all your new leads. The system will remind you when to make a call, and will send relevant email communications to your prospects in between. By nurturing your new leads in this way, your conversion rate of new leads to clients will improve dramatically.

You can use your contact management system (your CRM) to create your own lead nurture marketing Activity Plan. Alternatively, good CRMs have pre-designed marketing plans created for you, so you don’t have to do a thing.

Tracking sources of business, including referrals

You need to know where your business is coming from. Knowing this information will provide you with insight into where you should be investing time and money. Use your contact management system to run various reports, such as an “Original Source of Contact” report and a “Referral History” report. Don’t waste your time and hard earned dollars guessing about where your business is coming from or about what you could be doing more and less to fully maximize your time.

Matthew Collis

Matthew Collis is the Sales and Marketing Manager at IXACT Contact Solutions Inc., a leading North American real estate CRM firm. In addition to overseeing many of IXACT Contact’s key sales and marketing programs, Matthew works with REALTORS® to help them achieve their real estate goals through effective contact management and relationship marketing. Matthew plays an instrumental role in IXACT Contact’s communication strategy and has written a wide array articles, news releases, and blog posts on contact management strategies and implementation.

Email Matthew Collis

Filed Under: Client Creations, Escape the Paper, Real Estate Info

How To Use Basecamp for Transaction Management

April 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

Basecamp is one of my favorite business tools.  I use it daily to keep track of clients, their projects, my projects, and my team.  I even have a project setup for my kids chores, but that’s another post!  Today I want to show you how you can easily use Basecamp to organize your transactions, give others access to it, store it for later, and keep all information in one central, cloud-based location.

  1. Create a Basecamp account if you don’t have one already at http://Basecamp.com.  You will get 1 project and 4.95 MB of storage for free, which is plenty to get you started.
  2. Click Projects and then New Project.
  3. Use the property address for the project name, add in a description if you wish.  I put that it’s a short sale and that escrow should close on April 30, 2012.  You can put your clients names or whatever you want here.  Also add in your Transaction Coordinators email, your broker’s email, or your clients email; anyone who needs access.  If you do decide to add in your clients, you’ll want to make sure that each and every property is its own project.
  4. Once that is done, I’m going to make sure that all of the important days are on the calendar.  Click on Event and start adding in the day that escrow is opened, the day it should close, contingency removal dates, inspections, etc.  You will see that the dates are displayed in an Agenda style; click Calendar to view them on a 6-week grid.
  5. This would be a good time to point out that you can subscribe to this calendar so that you have access to it via Google Calendar to view on your smart phone or tablet.
  6. Time to make checklists!  To jump back to the main page of the project, type the address into the search box, click, and you’re there.  Click To-do List, and the title will be Disclosures.  Click Save and start adding in each disclosure, the date that it needs to be signed by, and who is responsible for getting it done (you or your TC/VA).  I just want to throw in really quickly that New Basecamp does not yet support Checklist Templates like Basecamp Classic does.  If you already have a Basecamp Classic account, you may want to do this as a Checklist Template instead.
  7. My poor husband was just bombarded with all of those emails!  Anyhow, at this point you or your TC/VA will then get all of those forms signed by your client with DocuSign, EchoSign, or by that old-fashioned method of signing in person (on an iPad of course).
  8. Check them off as they are signed, then compress them into a Zip file, and upload that to the File section.
  9. Once they are all loaded, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the link that says “Loop-in someone who isn’t on the project to share this by email only”  Add in the Buyer’s Agent’s email address.  If you know their TC/VA’s email, you can add that in as well.
  10. Alternatively, you can click to add a discussion and address the Buyer’s Agent directly and add the documents in that way as well.  This works best when the other agent isn’t as tech savvy as you are.
  11. Once you receive the fully executed documents, you or your TC/VA should upload each individual file to the file section in Basecamp.  
  12. You can keep up-to-date with what everyone is doing by clicking on the Daily Progress tab.

Keeping an accurate account of every step of a real estate transaction is important.  If you’re negotiating a short sale, you can use Basecamp’s Text Documents to keep track of each person you speak with and everything that was said and/or promised during the conversation.  If you’ve negotiated them before, you know that they tend to “forget” what was previously said, and this is a good way to remind them.

Having all of the information in one central location is also important.  Sure, there are a lot of transaction management programs out there, but most of them are not very intuitive.  Basecamp is so easy, I’m sure that my grandmother could use it, so getting people on board with you should be much easier.

If you need help getting this set up, or you are in need of a transaction coordinator, go to my Work With Me Page, fill out the form and schedule a quick chat session with me.  You can also check out our TC packages here.

Filed Under: Coffee with a VA, Real Estate Info, Transaction Management

Using Pinterest for Real Estate

April 3, 2012 By 1 Comment

Before you start rolling your eyes at me and commenting to yourself that I’ve jumped on the Pinterest Bandwagon a little late, hang in there.

I love Pinterest, and have for the past 9 months or so (I really have no idea) but I hated the idea of using it for real estate.  Every time I heard someone try to determine the ROI, I cringed.

All of that aside, I think that using it as a piece of your marketing pie a great idea.  Pinterest is so visual, so showing off your really good listings it’s great.  You can even post videos now, so pull out your camera and start filming your neighborhood.

There is of course a right way and a wrong way to use it, and there are tons of people who are doing it wrong.

I put together a free 5 day ecourse that walks you through using Pinterest for Real Estate Marketing that you can sign up for at the bottom of this post.

Examples of Agents Who Are Doing it Right:

http://pinterest.com/rajqsar/

http://pinterest.com/josetteskilling/

http://pinterest.com/lisaarcher/ (a good mix of business and life)

You Can Follow My Boards Here:

http://pinterest.com/april_sullivan2/

Sign up Here:

5 Days of Pinterest for Real Estate

* indicates required


Filed Under: Real Estate Info, Real Estate S & M Tagged With: , ,

The Timeline Checklist All Facebook Pages Must Have

March 27, 2012 By 6 Comments

Originally posted on All Facebook

Creating a successful Facebook page requires more than just a few clicks, especially with the new timeline design.

Even before timeline, there were so many things to consider that we’d found it helpful to create a checklist for pages.

So we’ve upgraded our pages checklist to help you upgrade to timeline, and also keep track of your page on an ongoing basis. Print out this timeline checklist or save it on your computer so you can check off tasks once you complete them. And by all means, give us feedback on this in the comments section beneath this post.

1. Analysis

Task

Description

Complete?
Internal Analysis Do I generate added value for my business and my fans with my page? Do I have the resources (time and money)? Does it fit with my business strategy?
Target Group Analysis Who is my target group? Is the target group actually on Facebook? Are the fans on my page part of the target group?
Stakeholder Analysis Are there active fan pages for my business or products? Is a merger or partnership possible? 

Tip: Merge the pages, where applicable. An explanation how to do this appears here.
Competitive Analysis Are my competitors active? What are they doing? 

Tip: Compare your fan page with others.

2. Strategy

Task

Description

Complete?
Define Objectives What are my objectives for the fan page? Are they reasonable and measurable? Do they contribute to the success of my business? Are they smart?
Define Key Performance Indicators How do I measure success (number of fans, user engagement, increase in sales, and so on)? What do I want to achieve? Which metrics should I use? 

Tip: Define clear objectives and metrics upfront for a certain time frame and continuously check the performance.
Create a Framework What resources do I have available? What departments need to be involved? Who is responsible for what? 

Tip: Involve all internal and relevant stakeholders (marketing, legal, customer support) in a timely manner and create processes and outlines for responsibilities.
Define Systems And Processes Who is the responsible spokesperson within the company? What are the processes for approval? 

Tip: Outline an approval process that serves as a binding, unmistakable guideline for community management. Plan for quick processes that enable personnel to act.
Define Content What basic content will be posted? 

Tip: Avoid marketing and advertising text. Facebook requires individual contributions that adapt to the platform, its environment and behavior.
Internationalization Do I need a central fan page or country-specific fan pages? Are the target groups within the markets big enough for individual pages? Are there sufficient resources for multiple pages and translations? 

Tip: Individual status updates can be directed at different countries and languages.
Define Direction Is the fan page long term or is it campaign driven? How will the users be directed to the right page?

3. Basic Set-Up

Task

Description

Complete?
Page Name Is the page name fitting and can it be used long term? Does it conform to policy and the law? Does it communicate your objectives? Will potential customers or fans search for this name? 

Tip: The guidelines for Facebook page names appears here.
Profile Picture and Cover Photo
 The new profile picture (square and small) ideally can be used for the company logo. You could try to design a profile image that’s part of the design of the cover photo, but that requires a lot of work.

Does the new cover photo fit the objectives and does it represent the company?

Tip: The new cover photo ideally measures 851 pixels by 315 pixels and has a resolution of 96 dots per inch.

When deciding which picture will be the new cover photo, some Facebook guidelines have to be considered. An overview of the requirements appears here.

Tip: Test the new design in advance with a Photoshop template.
Information Tab 

 

 Is all relevant company information provided? Can a fan get in touch via email or phone? The new design directs more attention to the info tab, so design accordingly. 

Tip: The information options within the info tab vary depending on the type of fan page selected (local business, company, and so on).
Create a Vanity Address What address do I want, and do Facebook’s rules allow it? What are the rights for the URL? Is it communicated in marketing? 

Tip: A vanity URL can be created here.

Be sure your page is selected.
Chronology
 The new timeline can be used to illustrate the history of the company. 

Tip: Add past events in retrospect with the new timeline features to create a rich company history on Facebook.
Applications Which applications are needed on the page — or are they even needed at all? Who designs them? Who implements them? What resources are necessary? 

Tip: Timeline allows almost 300 pixels more horizontal space for displaying application thumbnails. Take advantage of this.
Integration with Other Channels Am I active on Twitter or YouTube? Should these channels be integrated as a separate tab on the fan page?
Netiquette Does my page require a netiquette? What should be included? Can I bypass Facebook rules here?

4. Community Management

Task

Description

Complete?
Editorial Plan and Responsibilities What content will post within the next weeks? Who is responsible and serves as administrator? What type of voice will be used? 

Tip: Create an editorial plan that outlines when contributions are to be posted and name clear responsibilities so that even in emergencies one person is responsible for the fan page.
Frequently Asked Questions And Approval Processes What are the most common questions? When do I need to inform the legal department? Who can give approval? 

Tip: Create an FAQ in advance and outline posts that require an approval process so the community manager can react quickly and independently.
Crisis Management and Prevention What are potential crisis topics? What are our opinions in each of these scenarios? What will be communicated and what not? Who needs to be informed when and how should they be involved? 

Tip: Develop a crisis plan and statements for well-known issues so your community manager can react quickly.
Pin to Top 

 

 What’s the post of the week? Do I have to point to current promotions or campaigns again and again?Tip: Use the function ‘”pin to top” to prominently show your current campaign, your promotion or an important post on your fan page.
Messages
 Do I want to allow direct messages delivered through the Facebook page or do I want to focus on emails? 

The new option is a chance to conglomerate crucial comments or service queries in a less public way beyond the timeline.

Tip: The launch and the use of the messaging function on Facebook require adequate monitoring and the development of frequently asked questions to ensure fast processes.
Monitoring What is happening on the fan page? What happens on weekends and outside of working hours? 

Tip: Set fixed monitoring periods, also beyond normal working hours. Determine which comments require a reaction and which do not.
Reporting And Evaluation What is the atmosphere like? Have performance indicators been achieved? How is the activity? How is growth? 

Tip: In addition to Facebook insights, use additional sources for evaluation and develop your own metrics based on objectives. Continually compare this with your determined performance indicators and standards, checking at regular intervals.

5. Additional

Task

Description

Complete?
Media Buying
 Are advertising campaigns on Facebook effective for my goals? How is the price-performance ratio? Is there a desired click-through rate? Who designs and administrates ads? How are they paid for? Is the contact with Facebook necessary? 

Tip: Start with a small budget and test the effectiveness of ads if you are unsure. You can create and manage ads on your own. An up-to-date overview about the different ad types and how they can be used for business purposes appears here on Facebook.
Marketing & Presence Beyond Facebook Presence on other platforms/independent activity: 

Is my fan page included on my homepage? Within my advertising? How should the fan page be integrated in marketing communication?

Tip: Integrate your fan page on your homepage with the like box,which you can find here.

Guest writer Jasper Krog is a consultant for digital communication with a focus on Facebook marketing atEdelman Digital in Germany.

Filed Under: Coffee with a VA, Real Estate S & M
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »