It’s April! That means summer is right around the corner.
We’ve got all kinds of great content for you in this month’s issue of ZPro Press. You’ll learn about a new learning format we just launched, get a refresher on one of our main lead follow-up strategies, get some insight on changes to Facebook’s News Feed and – of course – give us your best captions for the April Wacky Listing of the Month. Enjoy!
Big News from Z57 Academy:
We’re now offering weekly Z57 Academy Interactive Webcasts! We understand your busy schedule and know that sometimes trying to fit your Z57 Academy training courses in can be a bit of a challenge. That’s why we developed our new Z57 Academy Interactive Webcast program. This program gives you another opportunity to learn on your schedule. Every week, we’ve got a variety of courses available. Registration is available online in the Z57 Academy Campus.
How to Register:
Simply visit your Z57 Academy tab on your PropertyPulse dashboard and click “Proceed to Campus.” Once there, you’ll see a link that says “Click Here to Register for Z57 Academy Interactive Webcasts.” Simply click the link, select your date and time and sign up! If something unexpected comes up and you can’t make it, don’t worry about calling in to reschedule. Just revisit the registration page and sign up for a time that works better for you.
Click here to learn more about Z57 Interactive Webcasts.
Questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact us at 800-899-8148 extension 5 or leave your comments below!
Calling your leads is the most important step to converting the lead into a conversation.
2/3 of home buyers and sellers work with the agent they first speak with but only 2% of sales occur on the first call. 80% of sales occur after the 9th interaction. Are you following up consistently? Make it easy by following the Rule of Three Calling Strategy. Here’s a reminder on how the strategy works and what to talk to your leads about.
Hopefully this helps you kick your lead follow-up back in gear!
Your newsfeed is about to change (if it hasn’t already). Facebook has been hard at work designing a fresh new look for the ever-evolving News Feed. This time, the focus is on photos. Check it out:
The Basics:
1. What changed?
A better question might be what hasn’t changed. Facebook is moving away from the traditional multi-column layout and towards a more streamlined, photo-centric display. What does that mean for your business? As you post status updates – you may want to consider using more photos since they get the main spotlight on the new layout.
2. Easy customization options
Want to check out your friends most recent photos? How about checking out what members of your groups are up to? A new menu toggle will allow you to quickly and easily switch views on your Facebook news feed – giving you more freedom to customize the content to your liking.
3. Mobile makes the leap too
Regardless of where you’re viewing content – whether it be your PC, phone or tablet – the news feed changes will be universal. That means you’ll be getting a more cohesive experience overall when it comes to your Facebook perusing.
Want to know more?
Facebook released an informational video that explains the purpose behind the new layout. You can also visit this page to learn more and to get added to the waiting list for the new news feed layout.
What do you think of the new news feed? Share your comments below!
Pinterest project gone wrong or intentional highlight job?
Give us your best caption!
We did it! We crossed the wintery threshold into the first week of Spring. Some of you may still be waiting for the weather to catch up – hopefully it will get the memo soon.
This month’s issue of ZPro Press will be focused on “ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!” We’ve got the scoop on taking advantage of changing weather and maximizing your open houses, benefiting from an anticipated Facebook change, simplifying your social marketing with a quick and easy PropertyPulse change and more!
One of the most important elements in working with a seller is helping them to effectively prepare for a successful open house. As Spring arrives, residential real estate sales will start to see more active buyers on the prowl for the perfect property. These 8 tips will help you prepare for the influx of buyers and open houses the changing weather will bring:
1. Spruce Up the Yard
Curb appeal matters! A front yard full of overgrown grass mingling with weeds is no way to entice potential buyers and you don’t get a second chance on a first impression. The season is just turning the corner to nicer weather so though your yard may not be at its full potential just yet but you can have your seller plant some flowers. It’s an inexpensive way to make a huge visual improvement to the front of your home. Also – be sure to take a look at your front door and evaluate its appeal. Sometimes a fresh coat of paint can go a long way.
2. Invest in a New Doormat
Make sure your doormat is looking good. A “Welcome” mat is inviting and adds a nice personal touch to the home. It’s an inexpensive touch that helps lend to a positive first impression of your home.
3. Clear the Clutter
Keep it clean. This is a simple (but sometimes ignored) rule of thumb for all open houses. Be sure to clean areas that aren’t commonly thought to be cluttered like kitchen counters, etc. Potential buyers want to be able to envision how their stuff will fit in the space and that’s difficult to do if your seller’s stuff is still there.
4. Organize Closets and Storage Spaces
Most people seek homes with storage space where they can stash their unsightly cleaning supplies, tools, etc. when not in use. If your seller is anything like the average Joe, its likely their storage spaces are not pristine and organized. Taking the time to clean up these spaces goes a long way in adding value to the home. If needed, use shelves or other storage options to maximize space potential.
5. Help Buyers Visualize Their New Home
Personal touches make a huge difference when touring a potential new home. If buyers can’t visualize themselves living there and entertaining friends and family, they aren’t likely to become emotionally vested in the home. Make it easy for them to daydream of a future event in their new place by setting the dining room table. If you don’t have access to nice place settings, spruce it up with fresh flowers.
6. Bring Treats
By nature, people love incentives. Consider bringing bottled water to your open houses and arrive early enough to prepare fresh coffee and “slice and bake” cookies. You’ll have yummy conversation starters on hand and the house will smell amazing!
7. Bring Printable Flyers
As a Z57 agent, you have access to attractive printable flyers with the click of your mouse. Be sure to print off a few and take them with you to the open house. If visitors have something tangible to take home with them, your contact information will be front-of-mind as they move forward with their home search. Be sure to mention all the valuable community tools on your website – you may get yourself another client!
8. Send Out Open House Announcements
Don’t forget – you can log in to your Marketing Control Center and create open house announcements in a matter of minutes. Be sure to send them out to all of your leads – you never know who’s best friend or sister might be looking for a new place. Also – be sure to post your open house on your Facebook business page!
As a top notch agent – you’re sure to be an open house pro but it’s important to remember the basics. Be sure to do a walk-through on your own before you schedule any open houses to determine any areas of improvement that need to be made before the property goes public. This could be as simple as moving a piece of furniture over a couple inches to make it easier to walk through a room.
Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to satisfied springtime buyers and sellers!
Did you know that you can connect both your Facebook and Twitter accounts to PropertyPulse so your one-time and scheduled posts appear on both networks? You can and we’ll show you how!
Follow these steps to manage your PropertyPulse social integration settings.
You can connect your Twitter page to your PropertyPulse account on the same social integration dashboard. To do so:
Using PropertyPulse to manage both Facebook and Twitter will save you tons of time on your social marketing. If you need help with this process, please don’t hesitate to call us at 800-899-8148, option 5!
Twitter, the social network famous for building a platform based on real-time conversations, was the original inventor and user of the #hashtag tool. Hashtags to allow users to direct their Twitter statuses at specific conversations and topic of interests. Tweeters can tag multiple groups at a time so they show up in multiple feeds at once. For example, in the post below, Z57 tagged #realestate and #quotes.
When other people on twitter search for a topic of interest, they will receive results with real-time data on what people are saying. For example, a user can search for information on specific topics, like #realestate, #breakingnews, #celebrities and more. If you need a refresher on exactly what a hashtag is and how it works, click here.
The social media rumor mill has been excitedly discussing mumblings that Facebook may soon be integrating hashtags into their platform as well. That means Facebook would be directly competing with Twitter by enabling features currently only found on the network with the little blue birdie. Incorporating hashtags will brodge the gap between capabilities of the two networks by not only allowing the platform to continue to offer all the content that is already available, but also by allowing new ways for users to easily search for and connect with people who share common interests and ideas. That could be exciting for agents because it may mean users could use a tool like graph search to type in “#realtor #chicago” and bring up a list of any agents who have incorporated those hashtags into their status updates.
As mentioned in the previous post, you can integrate both your Facebook and Twitter accounts into PropertyPulse and can schedule status updates to cross-post to both networks. If Facebook incorporates hashtags, it will save you even more time in your social media efforts because you will be able to effectively cross-post status updates with hashtags that will target groups on both platforms instead of only being able to target groups on Twitter and looking a little silly on Facebook. It’s also great news for anyone advertising on Facebook as it will allow for more targeted ads.
We will keep you posted on updates as this story develops!
Have you started using your PropertyPulse lead manager? Do you have lead gates and a lead capture form set up on your Facebook business page? Have you visited the Z57 Academy page for a refresher on your real estate marketing strategies? PropertyPulse puts all these tools and more at your fingertips.
Leads Tab: Use this tab to add new leads and manage existing leads. Assign leads to groups for easy organization. Don’t forget to select a lead status to keep track of where your prospects are in the buying or selling process.
Don’t forget – you can drive more leads to your page by turning on Facebook lead gates and lead capture forms. From your social tab, click on the “Facebook Tabs” link on the left side of the page. A list of all of your installed Facebook tabs will come up. Click “Edit” next to any tab and click the “lead gate” option in the upper right-hand corner to turn on lead capture for that tab. You can also turn on a contact form on your Welcome tab for more lead capture opportunities.
Academy Tab: Take a Z57 Academy class anytime – day or night – by visiting PropertyPulse and clicking on the “Academy” tab. Click “Proceed to Campus” for a full course list.
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