Tech Savvy Agent » Real Estate

A Branded Mobile App – House Hunter MA

Steve Pacinelli — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:34:09 +0000

On our Tech Savvy Agent Facebook page we have been discussing the lack of mobile branding and advertising options for real estate agents. Considering how important mobile is to our consumers, as an industry, I feel we can do better. Here is one application that might help with this dilemma.

We previewed House Hunter back in August on Tech Savvy Agent and received some great feedback about the app. However, we heard over and over again that agents wished they could have a branded version of the app. Jay at Crea8tive Apps took that feedback and ran with it!

Introducing House Hunter MA! Watch the video and let me know what you think!

Give it out to unlimited prospects and keep your branding front and center as well as the lines of communication open between you and your prospects.

Are You Frugyl?

Steve Pacinelli — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:10:45 +0000

Have you ever wasted money on a tool or service that promised the world and failed miserably in delivering it’s promise?

Let’s face it, there are a lot of mediocre products out there. Since digital distribution has become the norm, their isn’t a high barrier to entry for someone to attempt to create the latest new gadget, gizmo or doodad. This dynamic has led to a lot of innovative products, but also leads to a sea of options that simply aren’t worth your money.

Don’t let “analysis paralysis” lead you to not finding that application that could truly change the way you do business!

Chief Frugylist Jimmy Mackin sits down with Tech Savvy Agent to talk about his new service which provides agents with crowd sourced recommendations on real estate’s best productivity tools. In this video, Jimmy addresses concerns about the pricing of the product, the value it offers as well as a concise overview of the way it works.

How to Choose a Great Real Estate Photographer

Steve Pacinelli — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:03 +0000

Quality photos are the backbone to any real estate marketing campaign. Most agents choose the DIY method and end up with mediocre results at best that do not showcase a property in the best possible light. The problem is that your first showing is now online! Consumers are gravitating to sites like Realtor.com and Zillow and the competition is fierce for their attention. Subpar quality photos do not lend themselves to winning this battle.

How can you improve your exposure and up the amount of virtual walkthroughs leading to more “real” showings? Hire a professional!

However, you still have one large obstacle to overcome even after deciding to hire a pro. There can be an enormous variance in the quality of a photographer, similar to the contrast that may occur in two REALTORS®. Just because they call themselves a pro, that doesn’t mean they are a capable candidate.

Please watch this important video about the questions to ask your “pro” and what to look for in a quality photographer. Mike Lefebvre of Meeting House Media provides some incredible insight to selecting someone right for you. Connect with him on Twitter or Facebook here after watching the video below!

Advanced Video Accessories for Real Estate Agents

Steve Pacinelli — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:41:00 +0000

I think most real estate agents have come to the conclusion that video has to be a part of their marketing arsenal and how important it is to their business, so I wanted to take video production to the next level with this post and preview some advanced gadgetry to separate yourself from the masses.

These days consumers are hyper sensitive to your marketing style since everything your offer your clients SHOULD be online and available for them to window shop. Video usually has a prominent spot on agent’s websites and can shape their opinion of you. Everything from your home tours, to your video blogs, all the way up to your client testimonials will affect a consumers perception. So let’s have some fun and check out these tools and how they can improve our production!

This post is not for beginners. Video doesn’t have to be tough. It is so easy and inexpensive these days that we recommend just going out and creating some content. However, after getting comfortable using video most agents I talk to tend to start looking for more. Well, here is your more!

Watch the video to see how I think these products could be used by a Realtor and to learn about special pricing for some of the products as well as release dates. I also supplied links directly to some of the products featured in the clip underneath the video below.

GorillaMobile – A very handy table top tripod with a twist.

Steadicam Smoothee – Smooth video is a must for home tours.

Swivl – Are you a one man/woman show? This new tool will help with your video productions!

Mobislyder and Camer Table Dolly - For the super advanced video geek in you.

Sony Bluetooth Mic ACM-AW3 – Clear audio is also a must for video! Thanks for the hookup Mark!

Does Video Email Work?

Steve Pacinelli — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:55:04 +0000

Video is such an important part of a real estate agent’s business these days. However, I feel like video email has been under utilized due to some of the obstacles that people encountered years ago while trying to implement it. Bomb Bomb has changed my perception of video email and I am now a convert! Check out the video below for more information on the importance of video email and how their system works.

Use Promo Code Tech Savvy Agent to get a free HTML email template while on your trial (total of 3 templates when you sign up) and increase your trial list from 50 contacts to 500!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO BOMBBOMB

12 Ways to Use Video Email in Real Estate

Examples for Team Leaders and Trainers

Inspire and motivate your agents individually or as a team. Video makes it personal and powerful and builds stronger relationships.

Example 1 Leading and Mentoring – Tell stories, share insights and experiences, and point to resources like books, presentations, and events.

Example 2 Motivating and Inspiring – Share ideas and videos, set individual and team goals, congratulate one’s goal achievement one-to-one and to his or her entire peer group.

Example 3 Specific Training – Deliver sales training through video email. Personally introduce new processes, tools, and reports. Track who opens, clicks, and watches.

Examples For Agents

Follow up with people you’ve just met, show and tell about listings, or set up a lead capture form with an auto responder on your website – all great ways to build relationships and sell properties.

Example 4 New Home Listing – Send a video email out of a new listing that just came on the market. Include a video of the house, as well as key property features, and your contact information. Send it to your entire network.

Example 5 Open House invitations – Promote an upcoming open house event. Invite prospects, customers, and your personal network.

Call To Action 6 Schedule a Call or a Meeting with Me – Request an appointment to finish a conversation or to introduce a new opportunity; provide links to additional information; track views and clicks to determine level of interest

Call To Action 7 Monthly Newsletter – Send a monthly video email newsletter to your entire professional network. You can include information on the market, or perhaps mix it up with some fun vacation tips, or a cool new technology your using. You don’t always have to talk business. Sending this message with video will help you stand out, and adding some fun things in with the business talk will help you stay on the “wanted” email list. Think about the impact a personal video message like this could make on your business. See example here

Call To Action 8 Special Occasion Video Email – You could send a happy birthday card. You could, but you could also send an amazing, personalized Happy Birthday video email! Which do you think they will remember more? A card … or your video email? Which do you think they will talk more about or – even better – share? A card … or the video email? The best part is that you will know if they opened it, watched the video, and shared it. Happy anniversary. Congratulations on the purchase/sale of your home. There are many special occasions for video email.

Call To Action 9 Nice to Meet You Video Email – You just left a lunch meeting where you had what felt like a very good conversation about representing a new buyer. Send a video email as a follow up to your conversation. Use the video email to send links to homes that they may like, and thank them for their time. Most importantly, let them know that you’re on top of it – and ready to provide personal service! See example here

Call To Action 10 Why Use a Realtor Email – So we all know that there are some people out there that still think they can do it on their own. So why not create a video email that reinforces the point of using a realtor. The subject line could read “The top 5 reasons you need a realtor”

Call To Action 11 Holiday Greetings – As with the Happy Birthday card example, you could send out some very pretty holiday cards, or you could send out an awesome happy holidays video email! You could be like everyone else, or you could be like no one else. Nothing expresses true heartfelt gratitude like the human face. Text cannot convey tone, empathy, or thankfulness like video can.

Call To Action 12 Lead Capture Form with Auto Responder – Let’s say a person comes to your website, and they like what they see so they want to get some more information, or they want to subscribe to your newsletter. Use an embedded form to capture users’ information and subscribe them to your newsletter. But don’t stop there. After they sign up, send an email to them thanking them for doing so. This can be done automatically using an auto-responder.