Picking the Right Email Address

A lot of REALTORS® carry many email addresses. Most of the time, they normally use an address that is given to them or an address that they have used from an account such as AOL.

Having the proper email address for your real estate career is vital to your branding efforts. Your email address should define your business. Surprisingly, many REALTORS® don’t manage their address properly and perhaps you should re-think what address suits your marketing efforts.

I am not a REALTOR®, but in my own business as a marketing professional to REALTORS®, I also have many addresses. Many of these addresses are not used properly in my field of business.

I have listed some of the below:

• Bennie.henderson@gmail.com
• bhenderson@njaccess.com
• bhenderson@njaccess.net
• bhenderson33@aol.com
• bhenderson@gsmicro.com
• bhenderson@readvantage.com

I have learned a lot about what email addresses work best for my branding efforts. My goal is that you can control help you learn which email address will define your business.

A while ago, I used an email address was provided by an ISP years ago bhenderson@outofbusiness.com. YEP, you got it…Out of business! So, I lost my email service and also had to rebuild my contact list through another provider.

Another pitfall was that I used an address that I obtained years ago through a company that I worked at. It looked great as I had this big company name behind my email address. But when I left my company to pursue other companies… Guess what happened? YEP… You got it; I again had to rebuild my contact list.  As a REALTOR®, you may have a RE/MAX address then decide your going to move to CENTURY 21 or better yet, you may work for a Broker that sells and changes their name.

Another problem might be when you obtain an email address from one of your vendors. For example, myname@topproducer.com.  Sounds great, correct? Because even though the name is not your company name it still makes you look like a top Real Estate Producer. The pitfall is when you decide to cancel your service and now you are back to square one.

I do have 2 great email accounts that I use and have been with me since. I created a Gmail account for all my personal emails that I share with friends and family. I really like their services as well. As for my business, I found that it was best to register my own domain name so that I have total control over my business email, rather than using another email provider. In this case, bhenderson@readvantage.com was the best solution. It also defines the business that I service. If you are a new agent or even a seasoned one, I recommend using a real estate nickname.

If you are looking to register a domain name, I have had the best success with godaddy.com. As your real estate career grows you can add email addresses to the domain name that you have registered. For example:

• sales@readvantage.com
• info@readvantage.com

If you need assistance in finding the right domain name and setting up email for your business, please call us as we can suggest what may work best for you.

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Solutions for Social Networking Overload

So, you’re a busy real estate agent. You have a great web site with IDX search capabilities. You start a blog and post some great local content. You create a Facebook page for your growing business, and keep your clients in the loop about hot new listings with frequent Tweets. And collaborate with business associates using LinkedIn. How in the world are you going to manage all of this great social networking?

Presenting Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is a desktop application that runs on Windows, MAC OSX, Linux and the Apple iPhone. It acts like a “switchboard”, collecting and presenting you with social networking feeds from some of the most popular sites, including:

• wall and news posts from your Facebook account
• Tweets from everyone you are following
• LinkedIn updates and profiles

Of course, from within Tweetdeck, you can send posts and status updates to any or all of the networks that Tweetdeck supports, simultaneously, without having to login to each one separately. A HUGE time saver for the business professional.

Organizing your Social Information

Tweetdeck presents you with all of your social networking information in convenient “columns”. You can have a column just for Facebook wall posts, another for Tweets, and yet another for your LinkedIn updates. All in a well thought-out graphical interface. You can also choose to have Tweetdeck pop-up a window on your screen whenever it detects a new post on one of your columns.

And, best of all, it’s FREE!

A new player on the block

Another application worth looking at is Inbox2. They take a slightly different approach, giving you an interface that looks more like, well, your email inbox. And of course, it also supports email, which is something Tweetdeck currently does not. So in addition to presenting you with all of your social networking streams, you can also read your email from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Microsoft Exchange, or any POP3/IMAP email account you have. According to Inbox2, it “collects  all your messages, documents, links and contacts from these accounts in one convenient place and allows you to read, reply, search and be productive without having to login to multiple accounts”. Their desktop version is free, while their premium edition which syncs all of your information streams across your desktop and mobile, is available for a monthly fee.

So if you are feeling the pressure of information overload, and are having trouble keeping up with your social networking responsibilities, give one of these applications a try. It might just help you close a deal!

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This you???? Phishing attack hits Twitter

Special Post:

There is another phishing attack spreading across Twitter designed to steal login details and hijack accounts.  The is the latest attack according to security experts over at Sophos.

A message asking “This you,” followed by a link to a bogus Twitter login page, have caused such a scare on the micro-blogging network that the phrase is currently a hot trending topic on the site.

The attack is designed to steal passwords and could use hijacked accounts to spread money-making spam campaigns, steal identities, and distribute malware.

The “This you” messages are accompanied by clickable links which take unsuspecting users to a fake Twitter login page. Users who are tricked into believing they might see a picture or information about themselves, may enter their username and password without thinking about the possible consequences.

If you click on the link and enter your details you could be giving your online identity over to hackers.

Your username, e-mail address and password can be use to spread more attacks via Twitter.

Anyone hit by this kind of attacks must change their passwords immediately.  Choose a strong one and not a simpe one like your birthday.  Also check your Twitter account and check the Settings/Connections screen. If there are any third party applications you don’t recognize, revoke their permission to access your account.

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iPhone 2009 Market share shows trendous growth, Android steps up

The Gartner Group has released it’s 2009 Mobile Market report. And not surprisingly, the iPhone came in with the largest percentage growth of any of the major mobile phone platforms. Apple’s increase is certainly due in part to the release of the iPhone in Europe on the O2 network. Interestingly enough, the worldwide leader in operating system penetration is still Symbian (this is the operating system used on Nokia’s phones). While Symbian saw a 5.5% decrease in market penetration for 2009, it was still the operating system on twice as many phones as it’s nearest competitor, RIM (Blackberry), who also saw a 3.3% increase.

Here Comes Google

Google’s Android system also saw a 3.4% increase, giving Apple something to watch other than Windows Mobile. This is probably why Microsoft is investing so much into it’s newest mobile phone OS, Windows Phone 7 Series, due out later this year. Apple has set the bar with the iPhone, and more importantly, with it’s AppStore. Consumers and business users alike can download thousands of apps for their iPhone. iPhone apps have revolutionized mobile computing, and everyone wants in. Google already has a growing developer network for Android apps. Microsoft has the Windows Marketplace for Mobile and hopes to expand it further after Phone 7 is released.

And what about the favorite phone for Business?

Let’s not count Blackberry out yet either. It has long reigned as the most popular phone for business users, with a huge worldwide installed base of corporate accounts with 1000′s of handsets distributed to employees. Blackberry has had tools available for network administrators to make managed all of these handsets a point-and-click affair, from anywhere in the world. Recently, Blackberry has seen what Apple has done with it’s AppStore, and have opened their own App World, which users can install on their phone to browse the fairly large selection of apps designed just for Blackberry users.

If Microsoft can ship their new Mobile OS before the end of the year, and we see a few more Android-based handsets come out (not to mention any possible iPhone improvements), 2010 is going to prove to be a very competitive year for the big mobile players. It will be interesting to see what consumers and business users will chose.

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Viral Marketing for the agent

Maybe some of you have heard this term before but does everyone really understand what Viral Marketing is and how it can help the REALTOR?

Wikipedia defines Viral Marketing as marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses.  It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages.

I like to add as delivery tools such platforms as Facebook, Twitter and blogs to some degree.

So with this in mind anything that can help your brand awareness and in the case of a Real Estate Agent that might be a speciality or a marketing area.  Before the Internet came along this type of marketing might have been simply called “word of mouth”.

Why Use Viral Marketing?

I have read a few articles on the fact that when someone has a good experience, chances are they will tell a few friends.  In contrast people that have a bad experience will tell anyone within shouting distance of the experience.   The Internet compounds this problem so we always must be careful or what and how we say it.  Things can spread VERY quickly in Cyberspace and a good experience and a bad one can equally become viral.

Remember when Hotmail was starting? You could only get an account if a friend sent you an email with the link. Every one wanted one, and emails spread like wildfire.

Let me give you another example of how the Internet can take things viral without even doing anything.

There was a video on YouTube called Kuroshio Sea and had a song in the background by a little known group called Barcelona.  What the video did not get was the bands permission.  This video and song combination went viral and was viewed over 4,000,000 times at the writing of this post.  The band in turn made a video talking about the use of there song.  The gist was that even though they were not asked permission the success of the video with millions of viewers sent their song to the top of the iTunes list and probably made them a ton of money.

You can view the 2 video’s here:

Kuroshio YouTube Video

Band’s Video talking about the Kuroshio Video

The Kuroshio Sea is the worlds 2nd largest aquarium next to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

So you see it does not have to take a ton of money or time to let the Internet turn some ideas viral.

Essential Features of Viral Marketing

Traditional Viral Marketing usually requires a few basic elements – free products or services that are easily transferred to others using existing communications networks.  For a Real Estate professional this usually comes in a form of a free report, drawing, or other enticement that a buyer or seller would like to have.

Here’s how it can work.  Let’s take the example of community.  Being an authoritative source in your community has always been important but how can we make this go viral?  First let me explain Viral Marketing in this instance will not be nearly as explosive as traditional brand type promotions or the Kuroshio Sea video above but in this case all we need is a few solid leads and even one close to justify the model.

Sometimes nothing grabs peoples attention faster than the word FREE.   So in the case of the community what can be free?  Well we can use a bunch of offers such as free reports, free listing updates, free hyper local information, or free anything that can put you in a potential customer’s head. Free can get your name out there and introduce people to your services which will hopefully generate future sales or clients for you.

Know Your Buyers and Sellers

Knowing and understanding your prospect base will make your viral marketing more successful; tracking and analyzing what motivates them to want to pass along your message. You need to know what makes them tick.

As an example maybe you can run a contest and award a prize to a lucky winner.   All you have to do to enter is register by clicking a link to your website. Strategies such as these can be a bit more effective as the people that register tend to have an interest in the services you provide.

Viral Marketing is a useful tool and it’s something to think about along with your other marketing strategies. However, you still need to create something unusual and useful that people will naturally want to share and tell others about.

Once you have an idea, then you need to exploit your Social Media sources to spread the word.  These can be tools such as:

• Facebook
• Email marketing
• Blogging
• Twitter

The Internet can put us in touch with such a large number of people but keep in mind you need to reach the right people with the right message.

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Real Estate Association Web Sites by RE/Advantage

As a pioneer in leading-edge Internet marketing, branding and technology, many Real Estate Boards and Associations have approached RE/Advantage.  The goal of many of these associations is to assist them with not only their market presence to the public, but also to assist their members in providing in-depth useful information and to collaborate upcoming meetings and events.

When meeting with each board, the biggest complaints about their past Web site was that they found members were not using it as a tool  and found that it was very difficult for their users to find information and register for on-line events.  Another problem that existed was that when they needed modifications to their site, their Webmaster took too long and the board wanted the ability to make any modifications themselves, thus reducing their cost and saving valuable time to communicate with their members.

With social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, You Tube , Flickr and others, many  real estate boards also wanted away to have a presence on these and integrate them to their site as yet another way of communicating and providing information.

Using in-depth planning and working closely with your Board or Association, our team at RE/Advantage can help meet your goals.

Here is just a small sample of some of the many successful sites we have recently launched:

West Essex Board of REALTORS® 
http://webor.org/

Passaic County Board Of REALTORS®
http://pcbor.com/

Middlesex Association of REALTORS®
http://middlesexrealtor.com/

New Jersey MLS 
http://www.njmls.com

We are also currently re constructing sites for the Hunterdon Somerset Association of REALTORS® as well as Suter Yuba Association of REALTORS® in California.

If your MLS, Association or Board is looking to to enhance communications with your members as well as the public, please call us and we will tailor our solutions to your specific needs.

RE/Advantage develops and supports Internet technology for Boards, MLS’s, Offices and REALTORS® throughout the country.  By using our suite of custom designed applications you can enhance both your online presence as well as your back office functions.  If you would like additional information  please Contact Us via the Internet or call us at (877) 791-4825.

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