News You Can Use – The Mobile Edition

August 14, 2012 by · Comments

Mobile friendlyThe RE/MAX iPad App is out! In honor of this big release, we’re going to focus on what’s hot in mobile this week.

RE/MAX iPad App

You’ve probably already checked out the RE/MAX iPhone/Android app which brings our wealth of listings to your phone, but this week you can also download the iPad version of that app with even more features for the larger screen.

Inman’s iPad Webinar for Real Estate Agents

During my trainings, I sometimes get asked by agents where they should turn for just a basic “I just bought an iPad – now what?” tutorial on the device.  Wait no longer because Inman has launched their own webinar on just this question. You can watch it online at their site through the link above.

Facebook Mobile for Business: What You Need to Know

If 543 million people are checking Facebook via mobile, do you have a strategy to capture their attention? Social Media Examiner has launched a new podcast series about social media marketing and they brought in an expert to discuss how you can reach your audience on Facebook, specifically in the mobile environment. Their suggestions include:

  • Post succinct content of 160 characters or fewer
  • Make use of photos
  • Ask short-and-sweet questions
  • Be humorous and entertaining if appropriate
  • Add calls to action

Making Your Digital Camera Mobile-friendly with Eye-Fi

Tech Savvy Agent recently got their hands on a new toy – a memory card for digital cameras which allows them to stream pictures to their mobile devices. They rave: “This little SD memory card can save you a ton of time transferring photos and is a blast to use!” If you’re shooting your own listing photos and hate the transfer process, you might want to watch the video.

Andy Ihnatko via Compfight

Filed Under: RE/MAX In The News, Technology · Tagged: , , ,

Social Media News – 06/27/2012

June 27, 2012 by · Comments

facebookI suppose I should subtitle this social media news segment “The Facebook Edition” as there’s a lot of valuable blogging going on out there about Facebook.

Free Webinar – Recent Facebook Changes - by Inman News

Inman news will be covering why you need to change your Facebook profile e-mail address now (full story), the new Facebook apps, and promoted/scheduled posts.

6 Easy Ways to Boost Site Traffic with Facebook

While this article is targeted for Business to Business (B2B) marketers, there are still some nuggets of wisdom on how Facebook boosts lead generation that you can pull from it.

Infographic: How to Get More Likes, Comments, and Shares on Facebook

Ok, so I am a total sucker for infographics. These charts make data cool and this one is definitely worth a peek as it has some very insightful stats on what people like, share, or comment on.

Guide to Facebook Plugin for WordPress

If you’re using WordPress for your office or personal blog, you might want to check out this story as it goes through how to set up the Facebook plugin for WordPress which bundles functionality like you will see on this blog with the ability to comment directly on a post using your Facebook ID or recent shares/likes on Facebook. Agent Steve Huhta of RE/MAX Shambeau & Lyons warns “watch out – this plug in is not for kids. Ended up paying a WP guru consultant to fix it and try to get the whole thing working. The idea for this plug in is perfect but we still do not have it all working properly.”

How to Build and Keep an Engaged Audience

Yes, another infographic. This one has some valuable data about what keeps your audience’s attention, which is valuable both for lead generation and relationship maintenance.

pshab via Compfight

Filed Under: RE/MAX In The News · Tagged: , , , , ,

Social Media Review – 06/18/2012

June 18, 2012 by · Comments

Social MediaTrying to keep up with what’s happening in Social Media? Here are a few stories that you might want to check out.

Using Facebook to Promote Your Listings — the Right Way

Great article from Inman News on strategies you can use to maximize the effectiveness of your Facebook listings.

Excerpt: “Promoting your product (houses) and positioning yourself as someone to know, like and trust on Facebook requires a new type of marketing skill. When you understand the culture of Facebook and the marketing tool set that Facebook offers, there is most certainly a place for listings on Facebook. Agents just need to market their listings on Facebook correctly.”

The Pros and Cons of 4 Personal Branding Sites

If you’re looking to etch your personal brand onto the Internet, these 4 sites provide you with digital tools to get the job done. As the article states: “With so many social networks, online portfolios, digital resumes, and video channels to showcase your work, the traditional business card has basically become obsolete. As a result, many people are turning to personal branding websites to have one place where they can build their online professional persona.”

Is Social Media Making Us Socially Awkward?

This infographic examines the time we spend online and how we use social media to the benefit or detriment of real world friendships. The big finding of course being that social media benefits shy people the most as well as allowing us to connect with long lost friends.

Does Social Media Actually Work?

This brief post looks at the importance of context in driving engagement with your consumers.

Follow Us on LinkedIn

Want to network with other agents in RE/MAX North Central? We’ve officially launched a LinkedIn company page that you can follow.

Filed Under: RE/MAX In The News · Tagged: , , ,

Facebook for Busy Realtors

May 23, 2012 by · Comments

FacebookDo you find yourself struggling to keep afloat in the sea of information that is Facebook? With so many posts to read through to feel like you are up to date on your family and clients’ lives, it can get overwhelming. Facebook for Busy Realtors is a webinar that can save you time by showing you how to tune out the noise.

Do you wonder why more people don’t comment on your posts? On average, only 6% of your audience sees any one of your posts. You can boost that number by learning how the system works.  Facebook for Busy Realtors has your inside scoop on how to get better visibility.

If you were to invest 20 minutes or an hour per day on Facebook, do you know the best methods are to increase engagement with your audience? You guessed it, the answers to that question will be revealed along with other advanced techniques for getting the most out of your time on Facebook.

Facebook is the number one social media destination in both number of users and average hours per month spent online. People are using it every day to maintain relationships that they would otherwise have let fall away in prior years when they had to rely on mail/e-mail and phones to keep up with friends. If you’re looking to maintain your relationship with current clients or engage new clients, there are a number of methods for using Facebook as part of your overall engagement strategy.

Facebook for Busy Realtors will be available on Monday, June 4th at 10am CDT as a GoToMeeting webinar. Be sure to allow 10 minutes for downloading the GoToMeeting plugin if you have never attended one of our webinars before.

Filed Under: Events and Training, RE/MAX In The News, Technology · Tagged: , , ,

Tech Top 5: Thanksgiving 2011 Edition

November 26, 2011 by · Comments

Tech TipsIn a given day I scan/read through about 300 blog posts and newspaper articles via Google Reader to try and keep up to date on what’s going on in technology, social media, and real estate. I bookmark the ones that I might use in a future training.

Rather than just holding onto that information, I thought I would start passing it on to you. This week’s list is heavy on the social media, but I threw in a guide for those of you who haven’t yet picked up a smart phone and are weighing your options.

Filed Under: RE/MAX In The News, Technology · Tagged: , , , , ,

Why you need to be an engaging local expert

November 19, 2011 by · Comments

Percent of US adults on the Internet who use FacebookIf you attended Fall Convention, you probably remember Tom Ferry’s plea for you to engage your audience as a local expert in the places that they frequent if you want to increase your leads. I’ll admit, a couple of years ago I was skeptical about the impact of social media/inbound marketing, but I’ve come around and I just found a great slide presentation online that backs Tom up.

If you’re questioning the need to engage potential leads on Facebook and a blog, take the next 10 minutes to go through the presentation. If you can’t spend that time, here are some highlights:

  • Companies with over 51 blog articles receive 77% more monthly leads
  • Business to consumer (B2C) companies (like real estate) that blog generate 88% more leads
  • Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages
  • Companies with more indexed web pages get 236% more leads
  • 93% of US adult Internet users are on Facebook
  • 67% of B2C companies have acquired a customer via Facebook

» Watch the social media slideshow

Create a Facebook Page
If you’re ready to engage your audience online, why not start with a Facebook page? I put together a 4 minute video you can watch that will walk you through the specifics.

Filed Under: RE/MAX In The News, Technology · Tagged: , , ,