Broad concepts in marketing, communicating, and branding for real estate in an increasingly online landscape, with an emphasis on saving money while you're trying new things.

1. Resourceful Marketing
for REALTORS ®
By G. Sax
Communications Manager
Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®

2. The Impetus
Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.6%
Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.7%
Business Development . . . 51.1%

3. Marketing
The last thing you think about.
The first thing to go.
“I ain’t got time for all that.”
I need to be selling, like, NOW!
How much is this sh*t gonna cost me?

4. $pend, $pend, $pend!
Design / Designer Postage
Print / Printer Ad Space
Photography / Photographer Domain Name / Emails
Copy / Copywriter Server Space for Website
Software Web Design
Color Printer Staging
Scanner Promotional Products
Film Closing Gifts
Paper Annual Customer Party
Ink Cards for Special Events
Mailing lists Meals with Clients/Contacts
Memberships Tickets to Events
Car / Gas Clothing

5. Not to Mention...
Signs and Riders
Continuing Education
Professional Development
Lockbox Fees
Association Dues

6. Ad Rates
Not Tens or
Hundreds,
But
Thousands
of Dollars

7. Guiding Principle
Real Estate
is Local

8. Guiding Principle
Visuals Matter

9. Guiding Principle
VISUALS + DETAILS

10. Today in the Market

11. Reacting to the Now

12. Hyperlocality

13. Guiding Principle
Availability
Distribute.
Distribute.
Distribute.

15. Ways to Use
Client Consultation
Blogs and Websites
Social Networking
We Give, You Interpret
Stay Current, Relevant

16. Example of Fast Sharing

17. Communication
Be pleasant an
d
clear in voice. Good
phon
man e
ner.
s
Yo ur email ha
a voice, too.
“ummm..
.”
Spelling matters!

18. The Tools of Communication
“Mobile devices” Video
Text Status updates
Website Tweets
e-newsletters Networking
Photos Brand
Blog

19. Info Hwy Congestion
Swanepoel’s
TREND 7

20. Clear the Congestion
“I don’t need a million answers.
I just want the good ones.”
– WebMD Ad

21. Embrace the Basics

22. The Interweb is #1!
93% of all home buyers in Minnesota used
the Internet to search for homes (87%
nationally).
The typical first-time home buyer was 28
years old. The median age of all home
buyers was 34 years old.
2008 National Association of REALTORS®
Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
MINNESOTA REPORT

23. Embrace Free

24. Embrace “Free”
BLOG
Typepad | Wordpress
E-NEWSLETTER
Mad Mimi | Constant Contact | MailChimp
YOUR ASSOCIATION
MAAR | NMRA | SPAAR | MNAR | NAR

25. Embrace Fun

26. Embrace New (be picky)
Issuu.com self-publish magazines
ViralHeat.com monitor your reputation on social media
Drop.io share files that are too large to e-mail
Jimdo.com build and host a Web site at no cost
ScreenToaster.com record videos of your screen activity free
99designs.com bid out graphics projects to multiple artists
awayfind.com important emails by text
goldmail.com simple video email; voiceover ppt
getdropbox.com send large photos and files free (up to 2 GB)

27. Embrace Flash Drives
Embrace Simple

28. a simple text
editor goes a
long way

29. Embrace “Good Enough”
craigslist microblogging
Flip apps
netbook mp3
Google Docs web-based

30. Your Website
Should minimally have...
Property photos and descriptions
Searchable listings
Current and working links
Solid organizational structure
Consistency across the board
Quickness of navigation
REALTOR® Magazine Online

31. Your Website
Don't rely on a flat website.
Tell personal stories that turn your
visitors into clients.
Be yourself.
Don't be trite. (Same for Facebook)
Don't "sell." Be cool.

32. Real Estate 2.0

34. Social Media
It’s just a tool.
It takes a strategy.
It takes active participation.
It can be whatever you want it to be.
It can be nothing at all if you want, but...

35. Social Media
On average, companies with high
levels of social media activity
experienced an 18% increase in
revenue in the last year.
– American Marketing Association

36. Social Media
National Associaton of REALTORS® – 2009 REALTOR® Technology Report

38. The ex
am
with th ple
e ring.
The ex
ample
with th
e beer.
Facebook's Growing Demographic The ex
am
with th ple
e IRL.
– more people to find
– aren't out as much
– love to show off kids and grandkids
In a "face" industry,
why wouldn't you be here?

39. * Tweet *

40. Ummm.....wow
In August 2009, Twitter drew
25 million unique visitors, up
from 2 million in August 2008.
– Nielsen
The technical barrier is down.

41. Big Potential
Magazines and newspapers talk at you
Websites talk at you electronically
Blogs talk at you electronically, you
talk back
Facebook – organized, interactive
group talk
Twitter – all of the above in 140
characters or less.

42. Engage
Expand your network.
Learn from others.
Quickly and all the time.

43. Twitterverse
@aplusk (yawwwnnn)
@Oprah | @MarthaStewart | @TheEllenShow
@Swanepoel | @tcar | @tboard | @gsax

44. Twitterverse
@tboard
Saint Paul Real Estate Blog
Blogger
Writer
Photographer
REALTOR®
And I am here

45. Twitterverse
@tcar
NAR Director of Social Media
He changed relationship status to single
He sprained his ankle
He cut his hand opening a blister pack
He ate Cheetos

46. Twitterverse
@respres
I Don’t Know What He Does
But he is deeply involved in real estate
He is interesting, engaging, and nice
He is ahead of the pack on most things
He is eloquent as hell

47. * Tweet *
www.mytechopinion.com/twitter-for-real-estate-twits

48. Social Cewebrity
Susan Boyle: 113 million impressions
...and counting

49. Social Cewebrity
JK Wedding Entrance Dance:
36 million impressions...and counting

50. Case Study – Jimmy Fallon
@jimmyfallon
Forget Leno & Letterman. They’re old.
Even Conan’s a Twitter hater. I’m old.

51. Social Reality
Chamber of Commerce Events
Community Involvement
Tweet Ups, Networking Events
Association Involvement
YOU STILL HAVE TO
GET OUT THERE

52. Social Evolution
Horses Computers
Print Internet
Radio Blogs
TV Tweets
We Change the Way
We Use These Things

53. Social Evolution
Millennial (Gen Y, Echo Boomer)
Born after 1980.
Already outnumber Gen X.
By 2010, will outnumber Boomers.
Do not discount their choices.

54. Overheard
“Visibility is more
important than ability.
Secret agents don’t do
a lot of business.”

55. Communication Touch
“Touch” now means...
Email style, availability
Text style, availability
Twitter, Facebook update frequency
Quality and weight of paper stock
Your business cards

56. Business Cards
one or two sides?
gloss or no gloss?
need for email, web, other?
designations?
imagery?
photos?

57. Business Photos

58. Communication Ethics
must be truthful and accurate
company name in all marketing
teams: only “group” or “team”
company name larger than team
individual name can be larger

59. Communication Ethics
company website in marketing
no rules for listed phone numbers
must include name of state
listed price only price you can use
That’s all well and good, but...

60. My Ideal Business Card
Greg Sax
gregs@mplsrealtor.com
@gsax
I often go by G. Sax

61. Beyond the Business Card
Postcards & Info Boxes
Open Houses
Bus Benches, Billboards
Print, Fax...Dead?
Learn, Try, Do
Be Creative, Have Fun
Be consistent.

62. CAN-SPAM
(Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And
Marketing Act of 2003)

63. Communication Smell Test
If you smell like spam,
you're better off working for Hormel.
You must allow for opt-out.
You must provide a legitimate address.
Subject headers must be about the content.
10 days to take care of opt-out requests.

64. PR – Hey, It’s Like Sales!
Take initiative
Pitch to the right people
Be factual
Attracting Attention
Tell a good story REALTOR® Magazine
Mariwyn Evans | August 2008
Keep in contact
Be available
Say “I don’t know”

65. Contact: Greg Sax, Communications Manager
PR
Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®
gregs@mplsrealtor.com, 952.988.3123
Number of lender-mediated homes for sale drops
Q3 2009 Update to "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report released by MAAR
Minneapolis, Minnesota (November 6, 2009) – After four years of exponential growth, the number of lender-mediated properties for sale
dropped by more than 1,200 units from February 1 to April 1 of 2009. The decline is even more impressive considering that the spring
market typically sees an increase in the number of homes for sale.
Lender-mediated home values are dropping quickly, while traditional homes are fairing better. The median sales price of lender-mediated
homes in Q1 2009 was $122,900, a decrease of 21.7 percent from the same time last year. The median sales price for traditional homes was
$212,000, a drop of a quieter 3.6 percent.
For Q1 2009, 36.1 percent of new listings and 58.8 percent of closed sales were lender-mediated. Declining activity in both supply and
demand in the traditional, non-lender-mediated market, means that foreclosures and short sales will continue to hold a heavy market share
throughout 2009.
The five-page "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report for Q1 2009 can be found on the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®
website at www.mplsrealtor.com and includes more analysis and an explanation of the research methodology.
Established in 1887, the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® (MAAR) is the leading regional advocate and provider of
information services, research and education on the real estate industry for brokers, real estate professionals and the public. With more than
8,500 members, MAAR is one of the 25 largest local REALTOR® associations in the nation and serves the Twin Cities 13-county metro area
and western Wisconsin.
###

66. For interviews, contact Greg Sax
Communications Manager, 10K Research
gregs@10kresearch.com, 952.988.3123
The “F” Word Loses Pluck
Q3 2009 Update to "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report out now
Minneapolis, Minnesota (September 16, 2009) – After four years of exponential growth, the number of lender-mediated
properties for sale dropped by more than 1,200 units from July 1 to August 1 of 2009. The decline is even more
impressive considering that the spring market typically sees an increase in the number of homes for sale.
Lender-mediated home values are dropping quickly, while traditional homes are fairing better. The median sales price
of lender-mediated homes in Q1 2009 was $122,900, a decrease of 21.7 percent from the same time last year. The
median sales price for traditional homes was $212,000, a drop of a quieter 3.6 percent.
For Q1 2009, 36.1 percent of new listings and 58.8 percent of closed sales were lender-mediated. Declining activity in
both supply and demand in the traditional, non-lender-mediated market, means that foreclosures and short sales will
continue to hold a heavy market share throughout 2009.
The five-page "Foreclosures and Short Sales" report for Q3 2009 is online. Google “10K Research.”
###

67. Attracting Media
1. Be professional
2. Have pizazz
3. Be reliable and reachable
4. Have a catchy draw-in
5. One page news release (max)
6. Work with your association

68. Brand
Brand Consistency
Brand Identity
Brand Ubiquity
Brand Rethink

69. Brand Perception
Advil | Ibuprofen
Tylenol | Acetaminophen
REALTOR® | For Sale by Owner

70. Brand Personality

71. Brand Personality
the you in a suit
the you in the neighborhood
the you in the community
AND NOW...
the online photos of you
the Googled you
the Facebook you
the LinkedIn you
the blog you
the Twitter you
the rated you

72. Focus: The Rated You
Yelp! – restaurants & more
Redfin – agents
IncredibleAgents – REALTOR® created
United Airlines

73. Brand: Integration
YOU
YOUR BROKER

74. Brand: Case Studies
Plus Other Examples

75. Brand Safety
No alluring or provocative photography
Limit shared personal information
Concentrate on professional proficiency
Maintain care with new clients
Real Estate Safety Council’s “Safety Guide”
City of Mesa, AZ, Realtytimes.com
Nevada County Board of REALTORS®

76. Bad PR?
A sk m
e abo
the PH ut
X
examp
le.
“This is not a joke. Before I ever got into real
estate, I had very little respect for the profession.
Give me a call and I'll tell you all about it.”

77. Bad PR?
Is now a good time to buy a home in Phoenix?
I don't know. Maybe, maybe not.
Is now a good time to sell a home in Phoenix?
I'll give you a hint —
maybe, maybe not.

78. Thank You for Your Time!
By G. Sax
Communications Manager
Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®