This just in from the Florida Realtors Association:

WASHINGTON – March 12, 2012 – Technology creates new opportunities for property professionals to reach more buyers and sellers, but it also can create more work as agents strive to maintain an active online presence.

Some real estate agents who want to avoid taking time away from their core responsibility – seeing to the needs of existing clients – find great value in virtual assistants (VAs). Assembling a team of real estate VAs allows an agent to grow a business and generate more leads while still devoting the bulk of his or her time and energy to helping customers.

A virtual assistant is usually an expert in one facet of a business and hired to perform a single task. VAs may handle marketing, design and administrative projects for an agent – including putting together virtual tours as well as print marketing materials, inputting data into the MLS, writing ad copy, posting to the agent’s social media pages, designing and improving the practitioner’s website, managing leads, working on listing presentations, and more.

There are several tasks, however, that should not be delegated to VAs, chief among them cold calling. This prospecting approach is not a comfort area for everyone, but no stand-in will be able to sell an agent’s services better than the agent can; and agents will never be able to recapture that moment to make a first impression themselves.

Equally important, most real estate VAs are not licensed to practice and, therefore, cannot legally answer certain questions that might be posed to them during a cold call.

No need to feel overwhelmed! Contact us today and we will help!

Last year’s post, Real Estate Marketing Ideas to Boost Your 2010 Production, has received a lot of attention in the last couple of weeks generating many phone calls and questions. Much has happened in the last year with loads of new marketing tools available and its time for an update. So here goes. This year’s list includes some tried and true favorites, as well as the latest tech and social media ideas.

2011 Real Estate Marketing Ideas

Print Marketing

1. Update business cards/stationery/marketing templates with links to your social networking sites.
2. Add QR Codes to your business cards, property flyers, newsletters and any other print material.
3. Create a neighborhood newsletter for your farm or neighborhood where you live.
4. Create business cards or postcards marketing a service or stealth website.

Listing Coordination and Marketing

1. Add to all your websites.
2. Create virtual/video tour to add to all websites.
3. Syndicate listing with use of Postlets.com (free) or similar software.
4. Enhance listing on Realtor.com with headlines, text descriptions, video, additional photos, call to action promotion.
5. Upload to Craigs List weekly.
6. Tweet with Tweetlister.com
7. Blast email your database.
8. Post on your blog.
9. Add photo album to your Facebook page.
10. Add QR codes to all print material.
11. Post a video on You Tube.

Email Marketing

1. Send high quality email birthday and anniversary cards.
2. Send weekly/monthly email newsletter.
3. Offer free online Webinar for first time buyers, tax credit, short sales, etc.
4. Email local Weekend Events tips.
5. Email local holiday events.
6. Email home maintenance tips.
7. Offer raffle or drawing with other local businesses.
8. Send local interest rate and financing news.
9. Send an invitation to your social networking profiles.
10. Ask for testimonials on your social networks.

Website/Blog

1. Use a keyword search tool and confirm your keywords and metatags are relevant.
2. Offer free IDX home search.
3. Offer free listing alerts.
4. Offer free market analysis.
5. Write about other local businesses on your blog.
6. Comment on other local blogs.
7. Create niche website or blog.
8. Add Facebook Connect to your blog.
9. Create ebook and require name and email to download.
10. Host a contest with local businesses.
11. Post to blog 2-3 times per week using relevant keywords.
12. Add links to your social networks.
13. Create and upload videos for first-time home buyers, selling a home, short sales, avoiding foreclosure.

Sphere of Influence

1. Send something of value monthly.
2. Send hand written birthday and anniversary cards.
3. Hold client appreciation event.
4. Give free pumpkins at Halloween.
5. Give pies at Thanksgiving.
6. Send Santa letters
7. Give a calendar.
8. Hold drawing to get email addresses.
9. Send monthly or quarterly market reports.
10. Call and ask for referrals quarterly.

Social Networking

1. Join Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
2. Comment on 3-5 posts daily with links to your blog or website.
3. Create Facebook page for your business with a custom Welcome page.
4. Add video testimonials to your business page.
5. Comment on local business pages.
6. Update your status daily on your Profile and Business pages.
7. Create a ‘365 Things To Do’ Facebook page with events and activities in your area.
8. Use software such as Ping.fm to post to all social networks at one time.
9. Use Twitterlocal.net to connect with local people.
10. Send birthday wishes to friends.

Networking/Education

1. Sponsor a home buyer workshop.
2. Join a local networking group.
3. Get involved in the Chamber of Commerce.
4. Join Realtor national networks.
5. Support a local charity and sponsor a fund raiser.

Short Sales/Foreclosures

1. Add pages to your website explaining shorts sales and foreclosures.
2. Offer a property search for foreclosures/short sales.
3. Offer free listing alerts for foreclosures/short sales.
4. Offer a free ‘how to avoid foreclosure’ seminar or webinar.
5. Direct mail to owners behind on their payments.
6. Offer free report – how to avoid foreclosure.
7. Offer free report – pros and cons of buying foreclosure.

Contact us today. Let’s put your real estate marketing plan together NOW and make 2011 your best year ever!!

A number of you have asked me about Facebook Marketplace so here’s the skinny as I know it…of course things are changing constantly!

Is Facebook Marketplace a good place to market your listings?

• Over 1 million people shop for real estate on Facebook Marketplace.

• 96% of Millenials belong to a  social network.

• 55-65 year old women are the fastest growing segment.
• If Facebook were a county is would rank 3rd in size behind China and India.

Is Facebook Marketplace free?

• There is a monthly fee.

• You can get your first month FREE!
  RE50 is the coupon code to get your first month free.
• The system offers one-stop syndication.
• Tracking effectiveness and results is available.
• Listings are also exposed to the Oodle network.
• Post and manage multiple listings at a time.
• Information is safe and secure.

Want to try it? We can help. Contact us today!

Facts and figures about REALTORS is from the latest research, presented by Matthew Ferrara & Company.

Watching this video may change your thinking about where you spend your real estate marketing dollar.

• Approximately 1 Million Realtors
• Average Realtor Age 54
• 51% of Realtors Have A Social Presence Online
• Average Age 1st Time Home Buyers 31
• 95% of Young Buyers Use Social Media Every Day

Freddie Mac reported today that the interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan dipped below 4.69% while the rate on a 15-year loan sank below 4.13%. These are the lowest rates we have seen  since 1970.

Do you have potential buyers you can call with this news? Record low rates might just get them off the fence and encourage then to buy NOW!

This news is the perfect opportunity to connect with your database.  Send a blast email. Post the news on Facebook, Twitter and your other social networks. Write a blog post.  Send a text. Or post a video.

Need help with any of this? Contact your favorite real estate virtual assistant!

Last month I wrote a post about real estate closing gifts. One of my real estate virtual assistant clients, Clayton Gits, had asked for suggestions so I went to my LinkedIn network for ideas. Below are responses that have come in since the original post.

All of my clients have become more than clients. Some a little more than others. I do like to tune into what they are like and about and find an appropriate gift. I don’t take my CPA, attorney, insurance agent, dentist, Dr. or my stockbroker to dinner. But they don’t know me like I know my clients. I do stay in touch. Les Hackmeister

If the buyers are from out of town I’ll buy them a subscription to the local newspaper or regional magazine. It helps them to get acquainted with their new surroundings and they’re reminded of me every time they read it and see our ads. Nancy McBride

I’m with Rick, I do not normally do a closing gift. I typically work with sellers and on the occasion I felt it appropriate I bought my customer champagne to celebrate (I knew they would appreciate). I heard of a great closing gift and I will use one day; a pre-inked stamp with new address on it. I thought that was very clever and did not cost a lot.  Kari A. Battaglia

I work with buyers, usually relocating from afar. My closing gift is often a beautiful large basket filled with necessary stuff like toilet paper, tissues, cloth tea towels, liquid soap, a sponge, and a few snacks, like cheese and crackers, nuts, sparkling soda and chocolates. These are practical and greatly appreciated on move-in day or at their house when they arrive. The basket and (southwest motif) tea towels hang around. As special thank you’s, with much longer “shelf life,” I have given beautiful pieces of Nambé for their new home, made in New Mexico. How cheap it is to receive a $30,000 commission and not give a real gift?! Bad form, I’d say.

I disagree with Rick and others who think this cheapens our professionalism. I am all for doctors, lawyers and others giving thoughtful thank-yous, especially for referrals, which are the life blood of all business. I am amazed that many times I’ve referred a patient or client and never received so much as a thank you note. That’s not good business. Aysha Griffin

I always give a gift and it differs from each one. Now, my sister-in-law use to make dinner for each of her buyers. Now, I think she takes them out to dinner. Rebecca Gaujot

For a few sellers, I have taken the photos of the listing and made a keepsake book. I used www.mypublisher.com, but there are several others. This works especially well for sellers that have worked hard to re-hab a house and are now moving up by choice. Brian Hall

I do not give closing gifts to buyers but do give a drawing or oil of their house if I represent the seller . Michelle Drum

My favorite buyer gift is a welcome mat and flowers. Whenever possible I arrive at the walk-thru before them and set the mat and large flowering plant (Costco or Sam’s) on the front doorstep. I have personalized note cards with my logo on the front and on the inside I simply write “Welcome Home!”  Dawna Watson

Home staging has been a buzz word in real estate for a number of years now but still is not used by many real estate agents. Does it really work? Would it be a good idea for real estate agents want to spend their own money to stage a home? This is what Realtor Joe Molnar of South Bend Indiana did.

Joe listed a home that had been on the market over a year with two different agents. The original list price was high at $237,900 and was then reduced to $220,000. The house was in good condition but was vacant.

Take a look at how the house showed when it was listed with the first two agents:

Home Before Staging

Joe listed the house for $215,000. He spent $500 for staging and furniture rental for 3 months. When you look at the photos of the house after staging you don’t even realize it is the same house.

Home After Staging

See what I mean? When you compare the before and after photos the difference is remarkable.  Staging and good photos make a BIG difference. Joe thinks his $500 investment will earn him a $6,000 commission this spring.

Would you spend $500 for a $6,000 return?

Another good example of Home Staging is HGTV’s ‘Get It Sold‘ with Sabrina Soto. Sabrina takes a home that has been on the market for awhile and stages it for an Open House. Once again the before and after is amazing!

Recently I wrote a post, Adding Your Real Estate Listings To Facebook, which received a lot of attention.  I thought you might want to take a look at the new Vflyer application for Facebook to market your listings.  Of course, you have to have a Vflyer account. If you carry one or two listings, Vflyer is free. For larger inventories, monthly fees can run anywhere from $12.95 to $79.95.

Vflyer has it all over some of the other Facebook listing applications for many reasons:

• Your contact info is prominently displayed at the top of the page
• The listing information displayed is the Internet flyer you created with links to your information
• The application can be installed on both your profile and your fan pages

Here is the Vflyer’s real estate listing application on Leigh Brown’s page, Charlotte North Carolina Real Estate.

Here are instructions for adding the Vflyer application to Facebook.

I also like the Internet flyers you can create with Vflyer. It offers many unique features:

• It contains a slide show and a link to your real estate website on the first page of a multi-page flyer.
• You can include an unlimited amount of links to your other online real estate marketing tools.
• It includes a nice map.
• And offers marketing for your other listings.

Interested in Vflyer, but don’t have the time to fool with it? As your real estate virtual assistant, I’m glad to help. Simply give me a call, 757.271.6047 or send me an email to get started.