Technology has brought us some pretty amazing things. Yet, for the real estate industry it has proven to be indispensable in marketing campaigns. Brace yourselves for a new wave of marketing tools designed to bring the homes directly to the buyer.

Imagine yourself driving down your favorite neighborhood. You begin to think this place is great, I wonder if there are any homes for sale, and suddenly your phone goes off.  You automatically have alerts on homes for sale in the area. As easy as turning on your phone, valuable real estate information has been complied for you specifically with the neighborhood you are in.  How is this possible? With “location-based” applications of course.

Thanks to the good people at Placecast, who have created an application called ShopAlerts, real estate marketing has reach a whole new level. This is how it works: Once the application is started on your mobile the gps technology in the phone will determine your location. Then the application will compile data from the set area and automatically send it to your mobile phone. Originally this application was intended for stores. So if a client regularly shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue, any time they would pass by the store, deals, new products and special promotions would automatically be sent to them.

This technology called “geo-fencing” can easily be translated into real estate marketing; defined areas of any location known as “fields” are set to trigger alerts to the mobile phone, therefore making the marketing campaigns personalized to a specific client.

Talk about instant gratification. Realtors will be able to set up entire marketing campaigns directly from their phones and computers, plus have it automatically sent to industry insiders. That is some pretty powerful marketing if you ask me.

For more information on location-based technology check out www.transparentre.com and www.realestatemarketingblog.org.

Let’s face it in this fast-paced kind of e-world attracting the right clients to a property has become increasingly difficult. Attention spans are not what they used to be. However, there are a few tried and true tactics to keep your real estate listing from falling into the gutters of real estate oblivion.

Visual Appeal

You wouldn’t put a listing up with out enhancing its visual appeal, so don’t forget about it in the ad copy. This is the property’s calling card, it needs to be easy to read, clear and concise. Formatting your ad copy is one of the easiest things to do when trying to grab a buyer’s attention.

• Don’t use all capital letters or all lower case letters.
• Break up big blocks of text. Studies have shown that buyers tend to read the first few sentences and headlines of ads. Make sure your most pertinent information is placed in the beginning.
• Include Heading and Subheadings
• A picture is a worth a thousand words. Don’t be afraid to include images, just make sure they reflect what your text is saying. If you describe a staircase, show the picture.

Literary Appeal

Everyone loves a good story. Writing students are often urged to show rather than tell. This is a great tool to use for advertising a property. Find the home’s “story” and place the reader in it. What makes this home special? Even something as simple as a new stovetop can be used as selling point. Realtor Magazine suggests asking the sellers to tell you what they will miss most about their home. By emphasizing the positive aspects of a home a buyer is more likely to consider the listing.

Avoid using puffery. Puffery is described as flattering, often-exaggerated praise and publicity, especially when used for promotional purposes. The fine line between creative use of information and puffery can be avoided by including both the positive and negative aspects of a home. Don’t be afraid to include a potential negative instead try show it in a positive light.

Know Your Market

Not everyone is going to be a fit for every home. Avoid generalizing a property by focusing on the target buyer, rather than generalizing. Consider the neighborhood, the lifestyle of that person who would want that type of property. Readers will respond better if they feel they can relate,  good copy will consider the client’s personality. For example, an ad for a loft in the middle of the art district could include points an artist will appreciate like great lighting, and perhaps an easily accessible sink to rinse out used brushes.

Take the time to be a little creative. With a few simple adjustments any home can be written to attract its rightful new owner. For detailed samples on telling the story visit Laurie Moore-Moore’s tips on ad copy at: http://www.luxuryhomemarketing.com/real-estate-agents/home.html

The $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, will be extended for contracts signed before May 1, 2010 and that close before July 1, 2010. First-time buyers, who are in the process of closing now, no longer have to worry about qualifying for the $8,000 tax credit if they do end up closing after the Nov. 30 deadline. The new legislation also increases the income limit for couples with income up to $225,000, a nearly $55,000 increase above the current level.

Buyers who already own a home are also now eligible for a tax credit and the purchase of a home. The $6,500 maximum credit will be available to existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for five of the prior eight years. The legislation does set forth several provisions including, limiting eligibility for existing homeowners to homes worth $800,000 or less, as well as making both credits available only for primary residences, not second homes or investment properties. ( Information obtained from Keller Williams website )

Here is a chart that may help with the information:

Dianna Kokoszka is the president of MAPS Coaching for Keller Williams Realty. I was at a BOLD training and came across this statement from Dianna.

• When you want it means you lack. The brain hears you want & helps keep you in the wanting.
• Want = lack
• When you want money the brain says give them what they ask for-They ask for wanting money so keep them wanting money.
• Want control – never get it.
• Wanting control means you are lacking control & you’ll always lack.
• We cannot stand up & sit down at the same time
• You cannot want & have at the same time. 
• Release the want & you’ll receive it.

We must change the way we speak to ourselves in order to change our circumstances. This is the start of changing our limiting beliefs.

We get into the real estate business with little business training. All businesses must have goals and a plan delineating how they will achieve their goals. In other words, you must know the steps to take to achieve the goal.

To achieve the income you desire you need to know:

• How many leads you need to generate
• How much money you need to generate those leads
• How much support staff you will need to service your business
• How many contacts it takes to get an appointment
• Your average sales price / commission earned

You must have appointments with buyers & sellers and you must convert these appointments to listings and then to sales. There are a set of skills you must master to be successful in real estate; the skills to convert leads to appointments & appointments to listings.

 Lead Generation is Key

Here are some ways to begin lead generation:

• Call your sphere of influence
• Call expired listings in your farm area
• Contact past clients
• Meet with banks
• Develop relationships with allied businesses
• Walk neighborhoods
• Attend community & social events
• Hold seminars

Most importantly talk about your business. Listen to the people you are talking with and ask for the business. So many times we do everything right but then never ask for the business!

You may now have the time to take a look at your real estate business.  Are you using your time wisely? Are you tracking your business? Are you aware of the sources of your business? What’s working and what’s not?

 Some things to look into:

Time management: Identify your priorities. What days will you work? You must have time off for family, friends & yourself if not burnout will ensue and you will begin to hate what you do.

Are you spending your time on income producing activities, generating leads & developing new business? Are you prospecting… the “new” prospecting on Facebook & Linkedin can be alot of fun! Forget the Do Not Call List and contacting strangers! Become online friends and the world will open up to you!

Marketing: Are you tracking your advertising? You need to know that the dollars you allocate to advertising are producing for you. Oftentimes we find ourselves advertising in the same magazines  because “we have always done it” and if not some other agent will get our space and our leads. Are there really any leads? You won’t know unless you source your business.

The most important thing about marketing is measuring your results. Marketing without measuring results is wasted money. Ask your customers how they found out about you or your property. What made them come to your open house … the directional signs, postcards ? When you get a buyer lead, what website did they find your property on?

 ASK QUESTIONS!  This equates to doing your research so you know what produces the results for you.

Without knowing where your business is coming from you are probably wasting money. Part of  a good marketing plan is constantly reviewing the sources of your leads and comparing return on investment.

Marketing Partners: Look around in your community. Are there any other businesses that you could partner with to do marketing? Consider the related service providers that you use. Lawyers, title companies, inspectors, lenders are all looking for the same customer – the homebuyer!

Using Technology to Increase Your Business : Your customers  expect you to be tech savvy. You must have a smartphone and be responsive to your prospects requests. If you do not respond within 30 minutes your prospect is likely to be contacting other agents. The first one to call and/or email back is likely to become his agent.

Todays challenging environment requires that we all roll up our sleeves and take this time to tackle the areas where we can improve our businesses, our lives and our communities.