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Build brand awareness with social media

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:00:33 +0000

I’ve got something a bit different for you this week. And agents, this may not be for you (it might be, though) so if it isn’t, please pass this along to your broker, because this is definitely something that they should be looking at doing.

We all KNOW the importance of building our brands to the point that we are the first thing that people think about when they are looking for the service that we provide. We also know that the traditional methods that we used in the past are nowhere near as effective as they were even a few years ago. And finally, we know that social media has become the darling of everyone looking to build brands, acquire new customers and to solidify relationships with existing customers.

We know all these things, yet the promise of social media has yet to be realized by most agents and brokerages. There are just too many unanswered questions about where to be, how to get started, what to say, when to say it, how often to say it and so on.

Too many of us have tried to go it alone by attending seminars, “camps”, classes and meetings hoping to find that “pearl of wisdom” that will lead us down the golden path. Some have succeeded to one degree or another, but most have failed.

I recently spoke with Chitra Rakesh, who is the Founder of Chitsie, a startup whose business is built upon the effective use of social media to build brand awareness, about these issues and how her company could help real estate brokerages.

Chitsie has a revenue model that is very similar to that of the real estate industry in that they offer a 100% performance based model (as well as a fixed price model). They build brand awareness through the use of contests, business games and exciting brand campaigns revolving around your brand. You can see the three current campaigns on http://www.chitsie.com. Please take a look, and to get an idea of what they are doing, go ahead and interact with the three brands. Who knows, you might win a cash prize or a merchandise prize. (Prizes are provided by the brand).

Given that Chitsie has a performance based model (Sounds a lot like our commission based model doesn’t it?) your brokerage could get some real professional help to build brand awareness without the huge cash outlay that traditional social media agencies typically charge.

Seems to me that you need to at least contact Chitra to find out if there is a fit. Drop me a line and I’ll put the two of you in touch.

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Build brand awareness with social media

Happy New Year!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:00:51 +0000

Merry Christmas!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:00:50 +0000

San Francisco startup is poised to revolutionize broker tours

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:00:44 +0000

I’ve been writing this blog for nearly 4 years now and I have tried to keep it focused on technology tools that are available now for real estate professionals no matter where they may live. And aside from a few excursions into sales techniques (and the occasional rant) I have been pretty good about staying focused.

Today’s post is a definite departure though. For two reasons. First, the tool is not quite available yet, and when it does become available, it will only be for San Francisco agents, and more specifically, members of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS®.

So why am I talking about it here? For a couple of reasons. To start with, I know the principals behind the idea and the product. We worked at the same real estate company (different offices) together for a couple of years, so I know that they are all agents who have been in the trenches and know what they are doing…and more importantly, they know what active agents need in the way of technology tools.

And that brings me to my second reason for writing about the tool. This is an IOS app developed by practicing agents for practicing agents. Gil Fleitas and his team took a look at the way that they were doing business and asked themselves “what do we need in the way of tech tools that aren’t commercially available”, and then went and built the tools.

First out of the gate is Theo Tour (or tTour as it is known). tTour is an app for the iPhone (it will also run on the iPad) that organizes and makes sense of the San Francisco Broker Tour on an agent’s iPhone. (Although I am not a member of SFAR, I have been a beta tester for this app and will attest to it’s usefulness). Next up is ProtoTheo for the iPad (still in beta) which is a suite of integrated applications and services that dramatically improves the ability of Agents – indeed any real estate professional – to deliver an enhanced value-add service and experience to Buyers and Sellers.

tTour has been approved by Apple to be added as an AppStore download and Theo is finalizing details with SFAR as I write this, so it should be available to SFAR members in the near future. ProtoTheo is still in development and is expected to arrive sometime in 2012.

More information on both products is available in a brochure that Theo made available to me and which you can get by clicking on this link: http://RealtyTechBytes.com/theo.pdf.

For those of you who are interested in getting your hands on these products, go ahead and download the brochure…all of the contact info that you need will be there. Feel free to let Gil and his team know of your interest. Who knows, you may get to be a beta tester! And if you are not a member of SFAR, let them know that you’d like this tool to be made available in your area.

It’s refreshing to see tools created by the very people who use them every day! Hat’s off to the Theo team!

A nifty way to send those Christmas Cards!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:00:55 +0000

I have not been one for sending Christmas cards. Oh, it wasn’t always that way, but about 15 years ago I stopped sending them.

Not because of any “bah humbug” feelings, but more of a sense of saving time and money. I just didn’t have the time to sort through my list of names and decide who should get a card and who shouldn’t (Sounds like who has been naughty and who has been nice, doesn’t it?). At least that is what I told myself.

The truth is, I just got lazy and the whole thing seemed like a chore to me. And so for the past 15 Christmases, no cards were sent.

This year it may be different. I found a web site that has complimentary iPhone/iPad and Android apps that will allow you to send beautiful cards through the US Mail right from your phone or iPad! Right up this geek’s alley!

They have over 30 different designs to choose from, it can import an address book and they have pricing that can get the cost per card down to $1.69 per card which includes postage.

The last time I checked out cards at Safeway, they cost a lot more than that and didn’t include the postage!

So, I think that I’ll be sending some cards out this year just for the sheer novelty of doing it from my iPad!

Go ahead and check them out at http://sincerely.com/ink. Want to send a photo postcard instead? Check out their sister app called postagram at http://postagramapp.com/

Tick-Tock, Facebook’s SSL requirement is coming soon. Is your page ready?

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 02:00:59 +0000

On October 1st, 2011, I’ll be walking on Kaanapali Beach on Maui. While I am doing that, those of you with custom Facebook fan page “tabs” that are not hosted on a server that has a SSL Certificate will find that their expensive custom tab is no longer displayed.

For the rest of us, this requirement by Facebook that all apps and custom fan pages be hosted on a secure server means that we will have an added layer of security as we cruise around on Facebook. If you have bought any thing online, or if you use online banking, you have been the beneficiary of secure browsing. Here is how you can tell if the site you are visiting is using SSL: it will have https in the address bar and not http.

Seems like a small change, but it is quite significant. That little added “s” means that all traffic between your computer and the web server that you are visiting is encrypted. Up until just recently, none of the traffic between you and Facebook was encrypted. This was especially precarious if you were using public WiFi to access Facebook. Coffee shops anyone?

For the owners of Facebook Custom Fan Pages, now would be a good time to get in touch with the person who built your custom tab and find out if you will be affected. If your page is using the old FBML method you are safe (unless you have an image on the page…those are hosted elsewhere) as those pages are hosted by Facebook. But, if your custom tab has it’s own icon next to it (and not the fbml icon) you need to find out from your provider if the page is being hosted on a secure server. Since the change takes place on October 1st, you’ve only got a few weeks to get this handled.

My guess is that you will be ok, as the designers have known about this since June. If you have designed your own tab and are hosting it on your WordPress blog, you might be in trouble. Facebook has precious little information on their developer site, so if you need some help on this get back to me asap…time is a-wasting!

Happy Labor Day!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:00:05 +0000

Here in the United States we are celebrating the Labor Day Holiday this coming Monday. For many this holiday has become the last big fling of the summer. Its passing marks the end of summer (Actually, Summer doesn’t end until the autumnal equinox) and the return to school for many kids.

For adults it has become the time for that one last barbecue with family and friends. The meaning of the holiday has become lost over time by many of us. I went in search of the meaning of labor day and found that the US Department of Labor has posted some information on the origins of the holiday that is worth a few minutes of your time: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

But, for us in the real estate industry, this holiday typically marks the end of the summer sales doldrums and the beginnings of the last push of the year. We KNOW that we have to get busy and make some sales before Thanksgiving rolls around.

So, in that spirit, I want ask you to ask yourselves these questions: What am I going to do differently starting on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011? And how about this question: What have I been doing with my time? And this one: Who is my ideal client, what is their pain point around real estate, what do I have that can fix their pain and how can I get my message to them?

Take some time to answer these questions and I am certain that you will make more sales between now and the Christmas holiday season. If you are having trouble with these and need some direction, drop me an email. I can help.

Happy Labor Day all!

QR Codes that pop off the page!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 02:00:27 +0000

I’ve been writing this blog on a weekly basis for more than three and half years now. I’m not sure if that qualifies me as a journalist or not, but one of the things I think that journalists like to do is to get a “scoop”. In other words, they want to publish a story before any one else does.

Well, this week I have my first scoop! (Scoop as far as Tech blogs are concerned!) My friend Michael Seguin, Senior Manager of Technology at the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® has developed a way to take those strange looking QR codes that are popping up every where and turn them into “works of art” that are sure to get attention. (Disclaimer: I was a member of the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® from 1989 until the end of 2010. I am currently a member of the Bay East Association of REALTORS®)

Here is how it works. You visit http://www.QRStyler.com and put in the URL of where you want the QR code to deliver the viewer after they use their smart phone to “decode” the QR code. Then you choose a layout and click a button to create your new QR code!

From there you can email the code to whoever you need to in order to use it on Facebook, your flyers or wherever!

In some email conversation with Michael, I was assured that there will always be a free version. Michael went on to say that there will also be paid versions with more features. The system is currently in beta and you don’t need an invite to use it. Although I am showing a real estate theme, there are many others that you could use. (At last count there were 40 different layouts) If you can’t see the QR code that is part of this post, go here: http://realtytechbytes.com/?p=2877

So, go give it a whirl!

Here is the press release for more information:

WALNUT CREEK, California—July 29, 2011—The Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® (CCAR) has entered into an exclusive agreement with GotWebDev, Inc. to produce and market REALTOR® specific versions of the QRstyler™.com encoding application to the residential real estate marketplace. QRstyler allows REALTORS® to easily produce unique and eye-catching QR codes that allow clients to use smartphones to scan and capture marketing data including listings and instant links to REALTOR® websites. The product will be rolled out to CCAR Members by the end of August.

“This partnership and the resulting product is a perfect fit for CCAR”, says Bruce Adams, COO of the Contra Costa Association of REALTORS®. “A key part of our mission is to provide REALTORS® with the latest technological tools and innovations that will help them be successful in an increasingly challenging marketplace. The ability to not just use, but customize QR codes will help our Members to both differentiate themselves and to provide more timely and accurate access to information.”

After enjoying enormous success overseas, QR codes are exploding in the United States marketplace. Looking like square-shaped barcodes, QR codes work by allowing smartphones and tablets to “read” a code through their camera. That code can contain an enormous amount of data. Acting exactly like a “super hyperlink,” QR codes allow REALTORS® to offer their clients information and services wherever they may be through a smartphone. Adding to their versatility, QR codes can be reproduced in print or electronic form.

While QR encoder software is becoming commonplace, especially with the popularity of smartphones, the result is technically impressive but visually nondescript, squarish barcodes. QRstyler is the first QR encoder with an integrated “style engine.” That means REALTORS® and other users can create beautiful, targeted and even artful QR codes. More than just eye-catching, QRstyler allows the creation of brand-specific QR codes that mirror an organization’s identity. The application can function as a stand-alone web utility for individuals to encode on-demand, or via a data-driven interface to provide instantly branded QR codes for any purpose.

Eventually, two real estate-specific versions of QRstyler will be available to CCAR. The Basic Package will be offered to CCAR Members as a benefit, allowing Member REALTORS® to choose from set of standard REALTOR® oriented design templates. A premium version will be available at extra cost to both Brokers and REALTORS® that will allow production of unique and visually rich images which may be highly personalized by Brokers and REALTORS®. Either version will produce attractive and unique QR codes that can be printed, placed on kiosks and websites, shared from a smartphone, and much more.

“Part of the appeal of this tool is that it will integrate with existing CCAR technologies that are already being successfully used by REALTOR® Members,” notes Michael Seguin, Senior Technology Manager for CCAR. “QRstyler will enhance both our single property website product called ‘Street URLs’ and our proprietary ‘Homes Open Today’ web application. If all goes well our intention is to offer QRstyler to other Multiple Listing Services and REALTOR® Associations.”

Memorial Day

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:00:58 +0000

This post has nothing to do with technology or real estate. Instead it has everything to do with remembering those who paid the ultimate price so that we can enjoy our lives today.

I am referring to the U.S. holiday presently known as Memorial Day. This is the day that we are asked to take a few moments to reflect on the sacrifice made by others so that we can live free today.

I found a website that explains the history of the holiday, and I hope that you’ll take a few moments to read it. http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

As for me, I plan on spending some quiet time this weekend thinking about the men and women who gave their all so that I can sit here and write this post. Any veteran who served in any war will certainly have memories of “brothers in arms” who did not come home, or who came home so badly wounded that their lives were changed forever. My heart will forever be with the U.S. Marines and the “brothers” that I served with in Viet Nam.

So please pardon me while I dedicate this post to the brave, and selfless men and women of the United States Marine Corps who gave their all. For a list of those casualties since WWI go here: http://www.usmchangout.com/usmc/conflicts/casualties/index.html.

Semper Fi, and thank you. You are not forgotten.

A great light has gone out; Jim Rohn passed away today

Jerry Kidd — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:53:12 +0000

“For things to get better for you, you have to get better”, Jim Rohn.

Those 12 words spoken by Jim Rohn on a Nightengale-Conant tape, and heard by me in the summer of 1982, utterly changed my life. I was given the tape to listen to by a man who thought that it would help me improve my life.

Up until that point I was sure that my lack of success in life was due to the circumstances of my birth, the lack of a college education, the time spent in the Marine Corps when others my age were in college, where I lived, the clothes I wore, the car I drove, in short everything around me was holding me back.

Jim’s twelve words stood out so brilliantly that I scarcely heard anything else he said on that 1 single cassette tape. It wasn’t until later during subsequent listenings that I learned much more from him.

Jim had a very clear way of taking complex subjects and putting them in a way that I could understand. And the understanding allowed me to apply them in my life. He said that profits were better than wages. And that I needed to be working on profits instead of wages. At the time that I heard that I wasn’t able to quit a job to start a business. But he assured me that I could still start on building the foundation that would lead to a business. And so I went to Santa Rosa Junior College at night, and my job by day. Four years later I obtained a real estate license and my life was forever changed.

I met Jim at a seminar in San Jose in 1995. I shook his hand and thanked him for the gift of his wisdom and the gifts that his wisdom had given to me.

I’ll never forget that day, and I’ll never forget Jim.

http://tribute.jimrohn.com/