by justsellhomes | Apr 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
Gmail is my favourite email provider. It’s easy to use, I’ve never had it go down and its really easy to set up. However, as a business professional, I also didn’t want my email address to end in @gmail.com. Not only does it not appear as professional but it misses a promotional opportunity. Instead of promoting your business with your domain, you are promoting Gmail.
Then Gmail for Business came around and now you can have all the great Gmail features with a branded email address. So now if you wanted to get a hold of me you just email [email protected] and its actually through Gmail. What’s great about using Gmail instead of some of the other tools is the great plugins that are available with it.
So let’s take a look at some of my favourites:
Boomerang
Boomerang for Gmail is a tool that helps you tame your email. It has two main features. When an email comes in you can Boomerang it so that it comes back to you either at a certain time you want or if nobody responds to it. This way you never forget about important emails even if you can’t deal with it right now. This sets a forced reminder in later when you have time to deal with it.
The other great feature of Boomerang is delayed sending. You can write emails and then choose when they actually get sent. For example, you are working at 11 pm at night and have to send emails to clients. You don’t want them to think it’s ok to pick up the phone and call you and expect you to work that late so instead, you schedule the email to actually go out the next morning. So write all your emails up and have them sent at the time that you want. It’s a great method for setting those boundaries that you need in your business.
Rapportive
This was one of my first Gmail add-ons and probably my favourite. In any position where you are getting emails from people, it’s great to learn a bit about who they are. Rapportive takes the email address and pulls up their LinkedIn profile so you can see their picture and job title. Now you know the best way to respond to them.
For instance, if I get an email from an engineer about a house for sale I’d respond to them with numbers and why it’s a great investment since they are more likely to be more numbers focused. If I get one from a nurse I may talk more about the family friend features in the neighbourhood. Knowing about someone before you begin communication can help you build rapport quicker and convert more leads.
Canned Responses
After a while, you generally start noticing a trend when you get emails. That with some small exceptions, many inquiries can be answered the same way. This is where the Google Labs Canned Responses feature comes in handy. You can save a few standard responses and if an email comes in that you get regularly you can simply select the canned response you want and send it off which saves you a lot of time. This works especially well if you get a lot of emails every day and you need to respond quickly.
BombBomb
Do you use BombBomb? It’s a great tool for those in any form of sales. It embeds video into the email so that people can watch the video of you instead of reading boring old text. This is a great way to help build a connection with someone. What’s great about Gmail is that you can install a plugin that allows you to embed the video right into your inbox. Instead of logging into BombBomb you can click on the logo in your Gmail and embed video quickly and easily.
Another great add-on by BombBomb is email tracking. You can track every email that goes out to see if it’s been opened or not. I love stats and knowing your open rate is a great metric to study.
Streak
Do you have CRM? If you don’t have one yet in your business or you don’t have the budget for one right now (it’s always worth it to have a CRM) then you should install Streak with your Gmail. It’s built right into your inbox and now you have a free CRM. Streak does have some premium plans available but the free option is good, especially if you don’t have anything right now.
There are a lot more extensions out there and I haven’t tried them all. So which ones do you use and like?
Comment below and let me know!
by justsellhomes | Mar 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
If you want to market to your database one of the best ways to do that is to learn how to target email addresses with Facebook ads.
When you target email addresses with Facebook ads then Facebook will take those emails, match them to Facebook accounts with that email address and then
First, we’re going to show you how to target email addresses with Facebook ads then we’ll go into a few ways that you can use them.
Step 1: Go to your Ads Manager
Step 2: Where it says Ads Manager in the top left, click on the three horizontal lines to bring down a drop down menu. Select Audiences.
Step 3: Click on Create Audience > Custom Audience
Step 4: Select Customer List
Step 5: If you have Mailchimp, you can import direct from Mailchimp, upload a CSV file (with columns for Name, Email, Mobile Number), or do a simple copy and paste.
Once you’ve uploaded the list, make sure to give it an easily identified name. When you go to build your ad you’ll be selecting it by the name you pick here.
Step 6: Go back to your ads a manager to build the ad. When you’re selecting your audience click on custom audiences as you have below and pick the custom audience you just created. Now you can go set up an ad like you normally.
If you want you, you can further target the list by the regular targeting options but unless you have a massive list you’re uploading its usually easier to just target the entire list.
Strategies for Use
Back when I sold real estate I worked with a woman who advertised in the newspaper fairly regularly. She hated writing that cheque. Why did she do it? She just wanted her clients to know she was still alive (she was 97% repeat and referral).
Instead, what would be way more cost effective, upload the database to Facebook and just run the ads to them. Much more efficient use of your advertising budget.
You can add the email addresses to multiple custom audiences as well. So for instance if someone comes into an Open House and is a neighbour who is interested in moving up to a larger home nearby I can add them into a buyers campaign for homes in that neighbourhood but also ad them into an ad campaign targeting sellers.
Have you ever had difficult clients who constantly want to know what you’re doing to sell their home?
Add their email address to a campaign about their home so every time they log into Facebook they are hit with an ad about their property.
Any lead you receive you should take their email address and add it to a custom audience. You can continually add to a custom audience you’ve built so never stop cultivating the audience. Add and remove people as it pertains to specific lists. If someone buys a home I’d remove them from your buyer campaigns but transfer them to a separate list that helps you stay in contact.
Some tools such as Leadsbridge or Zapier can actually do this part automatically.
Digital prospecting is not much different than other forms. If you are door knocking and cold calling you have to actively spend time doing it. Digital prospecting is the same level of commitment and consistency to get results.
Have questions? Let us know in the comments!
by justsellhomes | Mar 8, 2020 | General, Uncategorized
When it comes to the digital marketing world many real estate agents have moved past “How do I generate leads?” towards “How do I convert more online leads?”.
Converting the leads is where the real challenge comes into play. There’s a ton of companies who can help you get more leads, including us. Those will do nothing for you if you don’t know how to convert them to an in person appointment. Nothing you do online matters if it ultimately doesn’t result in a face to face meeting.
For example, we had a client generate 1,000 leads over 6 months and did not generate a single deal. Not one. The exact same campaign type for another client and he got 6 deals on the first 100 leads.
If you want to convert more leads you need to look at you processes. It’s almost never a question of generating higher quality leads. It’s a question of follow up process.
There exists a lot of opportunities to improve and convert more leads. I often see the same mistake being made time and time again and its right at the beginning of the process. It’s how many respond to the initial inquiry.
Top Online Lead Mistake Many Real Estate Agents Make
So let’s take an example of a common real estate lead. Someone fills out a form on your website asking a question about a specific listing. What I’ve seen many people do right now is respond to the lead with something along the lines of:
“Hi John,
Thank you for reaching out about 123 Main Street, it’s a great listing, priced right, and not likely to last long on the market.
As per your question, the current owners would like to close within the next 60-90 days.
Are you working with an agent? If not, we’d be happy to sit down and discuss how we can help.
Have you been pre-approved yet? Happy to refer you to a mortgage broker who can help.
Would you like to set an appointment to see this property? It has a great layout, it’s been well maintained, and it’s close to some great schools. Presents a great opportunity for a young family. We can meet at my office first to go over buyer representation
Do you have any more questions about the property I could help you with?
I look forward to hearing from you and thanks again for reaching out!
REAL ESTATE AGENT SIGNATURE
*Oh by the way, I’m never too busy for your referrals”
How to Actually Respond to Convert More Online Leads
If you want to convert more online leads you need to respond differently. Remember, people are usually reading their email on their phone and so quick and to the point is better.
The above response asks too many questions and is way too long.
All you are doing at the beginning is trying to get them to respond to you. The first step to convert more online leads is to just get a conversation started.
So if someone asks you a question about closing time frame of your sellers from your website try something like this;
Hi John,
My clients would prefer a mid-October closing but can be flexible for the right offer, what timeline for closing are you looking for?
AGENT SIGNATURE
It answers their question, isn’t overwhelming and ends with a question that has an expectation of a reply. That type of answer will help you convert more online leads.
Instead of laying out all the questions in one email, you can answer each reply and end with another single question. Keep it simple. After a couple back and forth emails where you always answer their questions and respond with your own, you can invite them to a phone call to get it all done in one shot.
Don’t push too hard for the phone call if they haven’t provided a number yet. Respond to them how they have shown they want to talk to you.
If someone is just looking for more information about a listing but doesn’t provide a specific question we recommend something simple like “Are you looking at this property for yourself or as an investment?”
It’s short, simple, and to the point. Remember, the goal is just to get a reply at this stage. That’s the first win. Think of the consumer is a scared cat who ran up a tree. It’s slow deliberate actions to get them down. You don’t just rush up the tree and try and grab them!
by justsellhomes | Mar 4, 2020 | Uncategorized
A lot of REALTORS are wondering what makes a good real estate Facebook post. I’ve seen a lot of people with good ideas for Facebook but when it came time to execute they fell short and ultimately hurt their good idea. It’s not just about creating good content, it’s about delivering the content in a way that your audience wants to engage with it.
You want to make it simple, memorable, and inviting to look at (hat tip to Leo Burnett via Gary Vaynerchuck’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook book) so that they keep coming back to your content. If you overcomplicate your posts you’ll lose your audience.
Anytime you are posting you should think to yourself, if I saw this on my Newsfeed from someone else, would I share it? If the answer is no then you should reconsider what you’re posting. Always consider it from that angle of would you share it? If you wouldn’t share it then it is not a good real estate Facebook post
Instead of just describing what makes a good post lets actually take a look at some posts to see what was done right and what could be improved.
Real Estate Facebook Post #1
This is a great idea for a post. Showing happy clients (she’s smiling in the photo) in front of their home that has sold. So what could be done to improve it? First, include the clients first name at least. It will resonate more with your audience if it said something along the lines of “Congratulations Susan! It was our pleasure helping you get your home sold! Couldn’t be happier for you!”
One issue with this post is the overuse of hashtags. Hashtags are great for Twitter and Instagram but for Facebook they offer no value. Facebook has enabled their use but few people actually search them on Facebook and it clutters the post. One or two may be ok if it helps provide context but don’t go overboard. That level of hash tagging should be reserved for Instagram.
Real Estate Facebook Post #2
This is a good real estate Facebook post. It sounds like real people writing it and has some real personality in it. It uses the clients first names which helps its authenticity. Also, it does a good job at referencing their own content with their Moving with Pets blog post on their website.
So how could this post be improved? Add a link to the moving with pets article. If you just mentioned it you should include a link to it at the end of the post. The best way to do this is to first shorten it through bit.ly so that you can track how many people are clicking through to your content. The only other way I may change this post is to add the names of the kids or adding Adam, Sue, and family!” or a line about the dogs enjoying their new backyard too.
Otherwise, good post!
Real Estate Facebook Post #3
This is an an example of a good real estate Facebook post. It’s not promotional but it’s designed to get engagement.
It entertains the audience so they will more likely keep coming back and engaging with more content. It’s also still home related so its on point in terms of the theme. After a few posts like this its more palatable for the audience when their’s a post asking them to take action in regards to this agents business.
To take a post like this to the next level, run an ad promoting it to fans of the show in your area and you can see a huge jump in engagement. People love being right!
Real Estate Facebook Post #4
This is a great post that has been executed well. It shows they are involved in the community and supports a local company. They’ve even tagged the company to help promote them as well.
People love seeing local businesses supporting each other and the added combo of using the owners first names shows the involvement in the local community.
The more you can promote local interests that are the same interests your ideal clients have, the more your social engagement will skyrocket.
Don’t be afraid to put some money behind a post like this to promote it to more people locally.
Real Estate Facebook Post #5
Here is an example of posting a listing on Facebook. Obviously being in Malibu and a high end home do they have the advantage of great visuals which they used really well here. They picked one really nice photo and gave some details about the property but didn’t overdo it. Then they include a link to the property.
There are a few things I’d change about this post though. One, I would open with a statement or question to get more attention. Newly listed has nothing interesting about it.
Add some personality to this and it can go a long way!
Think of the post as a movie trailer, you want to generate enough excitement to get people to want to click through and learn more about the home.
What have you found works with your Facebook posting to get engagement?
by justsellhomes | Feb 18, 2020 | Uncategorized
Creating a nice piece of content is half the battle. It’s the toughest part to actually do consistently. If you don’t actually promote your real estate content though, you’ve wasted your efforts. You need to maximize how many people will see it. So to promote your real estate content the right way, just keep reading.
Imagine taking a new listing and then not doing anything. Not putting a sign in the lawn or even putting it on MLS. That’s basically how most agents promote real estate content. As a Real Estate Agent you will take that listing, have a photographer come through, create a feature sheet, professional photography, videos, etc… Then you put it on the MLS. Even that’s just the tip of the iceberg in promoting your listing. Your listing is no different than your content.
Pro Tip: Listings are also one of the best sources for content you have
What are you doing to promote your content the way you promote your listings?
So let’s take a look at how you can promote your real estate content.
Promote Real Estate Content To Your List!
You should be building up an email list. When you want to promote real estate content you should be able to share it with them first.
Utilized properly, your email list should actually be one of your best sources of business. A lot of your online marketing should go towards building up your mailing list. This can be your gold mine.
Promote your real estate content by writing an email highlighting the reason they should watch/read it (ie. whats in it for them?) and then link to it. No need to make it a long email. For example, If I was to email this out I would just write it like this:
Do you want to learn how to promote the content you’ve created? I just wrote an article detailing the best way to get more people seeing it. Click here to read it
That’s it. Nice and simple. Don’t overcomplicate it.
When you create great real estate content you can share it with the lists that would actually find it valuable. They follow you for a reason, you’re great content is part of it.
Social Media
Social Media is an incredible tool for sharing content. When I was building my first blog Google+ and Facebook were the primary drivers of traffic. That may be one of the few times I give Google+ a positive comment so enjoy it while you can Google! It’s not as easy anymore. The competition for organic views has increased dramatically.
So let’s say you created an amazing 5 minute video. You can post that across different social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LInkedIN to promote your real estate content.
It’s not just the video you create though. Take individual takeaways from it and create other posts out of it. Did you have a great quote? That one great quote can be put into an image and shared across the different social networks you use.
Think about how you can chop up the content into micro-pieces of content. This is basically the Gary Vee content strategy. That one piece of pillar content can often be turned into 10-20-30-40 other pieces of content.
Paid Promotion
Facebook especially has changed to make it more likely that you’ll have to pay to promote your content to get in front of more people. The nice part though is that Facebook & Instagram ads are cheap so it won’t cost you much to get it front of more people.
What’s great about Facebook ads is the targeting level. If you were promoting a piece about a local school you can promote it to parents of children under the age of 10. They are the ones deciding which school they want to send their children to. You can be the one helping them make that decision. If they need to move into a new school zone who do you think they are going to get to help them?
Use the Facebook ad targeting features in the ads manager to make sure only interested audiences are seeing your content.
Make sure you have a Facebook pixel embedded on your site so that when they leave Facebook and go back to Facebook you can target them with more ads. They’ve already shown an interest in your content so now you can start showing them even more content or a specific call to action.
Once they’re on your post make sure you have the ability to opt-in to your mailing list as well. Just look at our site, we have few options to get your email.
Guest Appearances
This is one avenue of content promotion that agents neglect quite a bit. The power of leveraging other people’s networks to promote your content is huge. Start small, look for local bloggers and companies who target a similar demographic. Ask to produce content for them. Can be anything, just find a topic that is somewhat real estate related while relevant to their audience. If it’s a written post you are doing then use it to link back to one piece of your content.
For example, I did this above in this article. I spoke about a piece of content I written and linked to it. That drives traffic to that piece of content. Now do that on one someone else site. This can work with many different mediums. Just find those targeting the same demographic and find a way to collaborate. Provide value to their audience and some of them will naturally come check out yours.
This is also a great networking tool. It gives you a great reason to reach out, talk, and find out how you can help each others business.
Repurpose Content
Repurposing content is a great way to create content quickly. Let’s go back to the example of an article about a school. You created an in-depth report on everything to know about the school. You can quickly re-purpose a section of it for a social media post. Do one post just talking about the sports at the particular school or the music program. It’s part of the larger piece and you are leveraging the main piece.
Think about this very blog post. I’ll be able to take different sections of it and use it to create even more blog posts. Go even more in depth on the different topics I spoke about here. Then link back to this and in the future update this article to include links to the more in depth posts. I may even do one of those in depth posts on someone else’s platform and link back here.
One good piece of content can be repurposed and distributed in dozens of ways. You just need to get creative about it. As long as what you create still provides value then you can
Promoting your real estate content is the most important part of a content strategy. Without a promotion strategy then there is no point at all to even creating it. Take the time to plan it out.
