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!!

Much of your real estate marketing in the last 18 months as probably been directed towards first-time home buyers. The home buyer tax credit is due to expire in just 8 days. The end of free government money will most likely make this segment of the population less motivated to buy real estate. This begs the question, “Who do you focus your real estate marketing on next?”

For the last two years, the Marketing Executive Networking Group has polled its members to learn about the issues on the minds of top marketers. Both surveys included questions about the “most important marketing segment.” Both times Boomers topped the list. Higher than Women or Hispanics/Latinos.

Boomer Project founder/president Matt Thornhill lists 10 reasons to examine the opportunities of targeting boomers in your 2010 marketing plan:

1. You will build your career and legacy on their backs
2. They buy things. Lots of things
3. They try new things
4. They are easy to reach
5. They think they are in the middle of Middle Age
6. They use the Internet
7. They have grandkids
8. They are control freaks
9. They like advertising
10. They are the future

Be sure to read Matt Thornhill’s complete article when considering to include Boomers in your real estate marketing plan.

This cold and bitter first week of 2010 is a great time to create your 2010 Marketing Plan. Most of us hate sitting down and spending time on such an exercise, but putting goals and strategies in writing greatly increases the chances of reaching those goals. The tough real estate markets we have seen in the last couple of years make it even more critical that we evaluate what marketing has worked and not worked to stop spending money with no return on your investment. 

Grab a cup of coffee or hot tea along with your laptop or a pad of paper and let’s start strategizing how you can increase your production in 2010: 

Print Marketing

1. Update business cards/stationery/marketing templates with social networking and home buyer tax credit info.
2. Sponsor a home buyer workshop.
3. Join a local networking group.
4. Mail hand written thank you notes to clients, prospects, agents and vendors.
5. Create a neighborhood newsletter or online networking website for your farm or neighborhood where you live.
6. Get involved in the Chamber of Commerce.
7. Join Realtor national networks.
8. Support a local charity and sponsor a fund raiser. 

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 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. Create Facebook page.
7. Tweet with Tweetlister.com
8. Blast email your database.
9. Post on your blog. 

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. 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. 

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.
4. Add video testimonials to your business page.
5. Comment on local business pages.
6. Update your status daily.
7. Use software such as Ping.fm to post to all social networks at one time.
8. Use Twitterlocal.net to connect with local people.
9. Send birthday wishes to friends. 

Contact us today. Let’s put your real estate marketing plan together NOW and make 2010 your best year ever!!

Here is an idea for Thanksgiving marketing to your sphere.

If you are like a lot of us you spend a lot of time and money marketing for new clients and run out of time to market to the people who know and love you¦your sphere of influence. Who is more likely to give you business? A stranger or someone you know, who has already experienced your extraordinary service? Someone who knows you, of course!

Here is an idea for holiday marketing to your sphere. As a thank you, offer to provide dessert for their Thanksgiving dinner. Send a postcard with your offer, directing folks to your website to order their pie¦and of course ask for a referral! Arrange to have pies baked at a local bakery and have pick up times in your office a few days before Thanksgiving.

Your Thanksgiving Pie Give Away serves a number of purposes. You have shown your appreciation, you have provided added value, and you have brought folks to your office to reconnect.

If you like this marketing idea, but dont have time to implement it, give me a call, 757-271-6047, drop me a line, ruthann@myreassistant.com or visit my website. As your real estate Virtual Assistant, I can handle it for you.