The visionaries behind The Cluetrain Manifesto presciently summed up our current market opportunity in the first of 95 theses: “Markets are conversations.” The people you want as customers are increasingly expecting conversations with your real estate or mortgage broker. your challenge? Find out how to make a presentation. And I’m going to give you the secrets, step by step…
listen first
Since markets are conversations, the good thing is that people (usually) don’t mind if you join the discussion. This gives you a huge free classroom. Take advantage of it.
Hear from other experts, competitors and professionals. But, most importantly, listen to your customers.
The cool thing about listening to your colleagues and competitors is that you can see how they talk to your customers and then compare your success. Nowhere is it easier to do competitive intelligence than on the Web. If you are marketing on the Web, much easier.
Looking for the best and the smartest in the Web 2.0 real estate marketing business? They are the people who observe their potential customers. Here are the key questions I want to know about my customers on the social web?
- Who are they?
- With who are you talking?
- What are you talking about?
- What words they use?
I highlighted a very important concept above, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Obviously, by the title, Real Estate Marketing, we are all in the real estate or mortgage business. Do not forget that your customers are not. They don’t talk to real estate people. They don’t talk about home inspections, escrows, seller’s allowance, and mortgages, unless they’re forced to. And they don’t know what FHA, subprime and Fannie Mae are.
Search is your friend, especially blog search engines. Remember that you are looking for conversations. Talks about houses, buying houses, house refinancing, mortgages, mortgage brokers, mortgage scams, real estate scams (yes, look for hate talk too). Here are some good places to start conversations:
- Technorati
- Google blog search
- ice rocket
- friends provider
Let’s go back to words! This is the number one marketing flop and a death sentence in Internet real estate marketing. Words are how customers find us on the Web. If you use words they don’t use, she guessed it: No conversation!
These conversations, from blogs, discussion groups, and Twitter, are short and candid. Write them down and use them.
identify a niche
You know where they are, who they talk to, and the funny words they use. The next order of business is to find out what they want (not what they need), another common marketing mistake.
Their conversations will tell you this valuable information. It will reveal your pain, such as your monthly payments unexpectedly increasing, the loss of a job, or it may be a divorce that forces you to reconsider your current home or loan. Maybe they’re just worried about getting a bargain on a foreclosure, short sale, or distressed-spec home.
Once you know what they want and how they ask for it, it’s time to start building your Web 2.0 mortgage marketing platform.
Building a Web 2.0 Social Platform
Web 2.0 real estate marketing is all about directly engaging your prospects in conversation, but you need an identity. This is how your website or blog should be. Almost every social service or application on the Internet associates you with a website. If you don’t have a URL for people to learn more about you, your efforts are already frustrated.
How you design and build your base of operations is critical to your success. Did I mention it’s your identity? This is how people are going to decide if they want their expert real estate attorney.
I usually suggest a blog. It is simple and versatile. Also, it’s a conversation.
Here are some suggestions on where to get a blog:
- wordpress.com
- blogger.com
- typepad.com
The other consideration for this platform is your name (identity), which in the web world is a domain name. Take some time to figure out the correct name. It doesn’t have to be your company name, and it probably shouldn’t be.
Here are some creative guidelines:
- Consider your list of words your customers use
- Consider the niche you have selected
- short is better
- Register only .com, .org, .net
With your social identity and home in place, it’s time to fill it with credibility.
content in king
Web copy is the current king of internet marketing and lead generation. You not only need to know how to write, but also what to write. Again, go back to your list of words your customers use. Take each one and design your website to talk about each of these keywords.
A good resource for writing good copy for your website or blog is Copyblogger.com.
Your typed words are critical because they are the language of Google and other search engines. However, don’t miss out on the growing importance of other types of media, such as audio and video. These types of rich media help make a conversation more personal. Consider adding podcasts, short audio messages, and videos to your social platform.
Here are some resources to develop your audio and video content:
- TalkShoe.com
- BlogTalkRadio.com
- youtube.com
- Revver.com
Content builds credibility and trust, the two critical components of any sale. Make sure your real estate marketing plan understands the impact of content on an easier sale.
Develop amplifying relationships
Well, we have a platform and a lot of valuable content. But who knows about that? The Internet is a very big place. You, alone, shouting in a conference room that is already full of good conversations, will not be noticed.
You need amps. People who find you interesting and are willing to tell others about it. Hopefully some of these already have a huge audience.
This, like the traditional offline Rolodex, is the role of social media. Connecting with people who have audiences is the fastest way to get into the conversation.
Great places to build a social amp network:
- dig
- stumble upon
These are all great tools and people on the web love to share, but nobody likes someone taking advantage of a relationship. Be respectful and add value first. Even in small ways.
Distribution makes a kingdom
Being a king is only interesting if you lead a kingdom.
In the internet world that is an audience of potential buyers who respond to your recommendations and/or you have a network of amplifiers that brings this ability.
Creating that real estate marketing realm is a process of distributing your name, your value, and your content.
The most effective way to run that distribution is based on many of the principles I’ve already laid out:
- Blog (RSS)
- Twitter (140 character ads)
- Delicious (bookmark content)
- Digg (content voting)
- Stumbleupon (content voting)
Add to these inherent distribution channels some well-placed personal emails and you’ll be a real estate marketing mogul in no time.
Assembling the Web 2.0 Toolbox
You have the roadmap. A real estate marketing plan should have leads in no time, but what are some tools you should have on hand to manage your new real estate marketing empire?
Here are some of the basics:
- Google Analytics (website analytics)
- Whirlwind (Twitter client)
- Camtasia Studio (Windows) or SnapZ Pro (Mac)
- webcam
- Microphone
The key to building your real estate marketing platform is to test, test, adjust, and test again. These tools allow you to produce and test a variety of approaches to your social market, which is the fastest way to succeed in generating real estate leads.
