Have you added video to your website?  By 2014, experts predict that 90 percent of all web traffic will be video.  If you haven't added video to your marketing strategy, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to get more leads.

Many agents are intimidated by video, says Bernice Ross, a real estate coach and author.  "They don't like the way they look, they feel it's too hard to do a good job, or they're simply too busy. In the meantime, they're spending hundreds of hours on Facebook hoping to generate leads. Others are paying for Google ad words in the hope the online advertising model will drive visitors from their site."

The lead conversion rate for video on YouTube is 4 percent versus 1.24 percent for Facebook and .58 percent for Google. You can't afford NOT to add video to your marketing tools.

How do I Make a Video?

Using your smartphone or tablet is the quickest and easiest way to start.  This is especially true with listing videos.  (Read: Create Listing Videos Quickly and Easily)

"I have no trouble shooting videos from my iPhone." says Ross.  "The challenge is what to do with it once it's on my phone."  YouTube allows you to drag and drop the video into their editing program.  You can also easily create a slide show from your pictures, arrange them in order, and add music and captions.

To create an agent video, hiring a video production company offers a more professional result with lighting, editing and quality sound.  Ross says that if you can record a video with no errors, then you can use your smartphone or tablet, but as she found, that is very hard to do. "The issue was the editing. If I didn't get the video right the first time, editing was going to prove to be more difficult than I could handle." she said.

"If editing is required," Ross says, "it may be too much trouble for most Realtors. Hire a professional and focus on your sales business"

Related: Video Makes Your Small Business Seem Bigger

Posted in Real Estate Industry Trends

Do customers actually care about company values? asks Sonia Simone on Copy Blogger.

"A recent article from Harvard Business Review (HBR) asserts that customers don't care much about interaction with businesses - instead they feel most engaged (and buy more) when they believe they share values with the company." she says.

  "Most marketers think that the best way to hold onto customers is through 'engagement' - interacting as much as possible with them and building relationships." says HBR.  77% of consumers said that they only interacted with companies online in order to get discounts.

64% of consumers who said that they have a relationship with a brand or company, cited "shared values" as the reason.  "Shared values build relationships." says HBR.  A shared value is a belief that both the brand and consumer have about a brand's higher purpose or broad philosophy.  Only 13% of consumers cited frequent interactions with the brand as a reason for having a relationship.

So, what are the core values of your business?   "Sitting down together and figuring out your values can be a silly corporate time-waster, or it can be a meaningful and moving process." says Simone. What makes the difference?  When Simone's company decided to do this, they weren't trying to come up with a message to print on the side of a shoe box.  "We were trying to figure out our own best selves.  And that translates directly into how we treat people - customers, vendors... everyone." she says.

But giving customers what they want is also important, says Simone.  "If your values statement exists (mainly) to make you feel awesome about yourself, maybe you should skip it. But if it helps you give customers exactly what they want, the way they want it, you're probably on to something."

Read more at Copy Blogger.

photo credit: PerformanceSolutions

Posted in National News

As a real estate agent, we are asked almost daily whether we would be willing to discount our commission. 

"Don't ever discount your value!" writes Chris Nichols on Top 5 Real Estate Network.  "Someone who doesn't feel their services are worth every penny and would give up some of their commission probably isn't the best (person for the job)."

What are YOU Worth?

"When a seller asks you to lower your commission," says Bernice Ross, real estate coach, "that usually means you haven't demonstrated your value." How you handle your listings and transactions sets you apart from the rest.

Negotiations are the toughest part of the home buying process and as a real estate professional, you are an expert at negotiations!  You earn your commission when handling the negotiations, contracts and making sure your client is well represented and protected.

"Be willing to walk away," counsels Ross.  Explain that a limited commission translates into limited services, if they are willing to take less than the best service you can offer, you probably don't want them as a client.

The bottom line is that you must demonstrate your superior services in order to defend your commission.

Read:  Are You Worth Your Commission?

Posted in Real Estate Industry Trends

Do you find yourself focusing mainly on the problems facing you in business, life and leadership positions?  Are you constantly "putting out fires"? It's time to start focusing your time, energy and thoughts on the solution instead of the problem.

Say Yes instead of No

Use these problems as a way to offer different opinions and solutions, instead of looking at them as a blockade to your goals.  Avoid saying "No" and say "Yes" instead!

"Much of the difficulty in getting to "yes" is our mindset." says Chris Nichols on the Top 5 Real Estate Network.  He offers a few interesting thoughts from explorer Lewis Pugh who swam in the most extreme conditions at the North Pole and at the base of Mount Everest. "First, (says Pugh) there is nothing more powerful than the made up mind. Second, just because something worked in the past doesn't mean it will work in the future. And finally, what type of mindset do I need to have to complete a task?"

"The real estate market is ripe with opportunities disguised as problems." says Nichols. To be successful in real estate, you must find the solutions and not focus on the problems.

Read the full article at Top 5 Real Estate Network.

Posted in Traditional Marketing

Are you using video to enhance your listings?  The internet is powered by video these days and if you haven't jumped on the video bandwagon, you are missing out on a huge advantage over your competition.

By 2014, most experts are predicting that 90 percent of all web traffic will be devoted to video, writes Bernice Ross, real estate coach and author.  "YouTube alone garners 4 billion video views every day with the average viewer staying online for 26 minutes. The bottom line is that using video to market your listings is rapidly becoming as important as having photos on the MLS." she says.

She offers these suggestions for creating listing videos quickly and simply with your smartphone or computer:

Ptch
Ptch (pronounced "pitch") combines photos and video from your phone or media from social networks, like Facebook and Instagram.  You can add captions, music and special effects.

"This iPhone app is very easy to use." says Ross.  "It only took me about ten minutes from the time I went to the app store, downloaded the app, and made my first video. (Please note, this was not an actual video, but a slide show with music that looks like a video, much like many of the virtual tour companies provide.)"

Keynote or Power Point

Keynote and Power Point programs offer more creative flexibility, but since you are building each slide with animation and text, it takes more time.

YouTube

YouTube also has a video editor in which you can combine videos, shorten clips, add text and music and special effects.  They also have an area called Creator Hub with numerous tools to help you "supercharge your content". 

Using video on your website and in your listings should be part of your marketing strategy.

Read: Video Brings Power to Your Website

Posted in Technology And YOU