2013 has finally arrived, and with the new year there will be some new trends and technology tools you should consider as a real estate professional. Below are my top technology trends I believe you should consider and be mindful of as you plan and proceed during the coming months.
- First, mobile is BIG and will continue to get BIGGER! I’ve been talking about mobile marketing for quite sometime, and 2013 will be no exception to the rule. With more and more smart phones and tablet devices sold, more consumers will make these gadgets their primary device for surfing the web.
- Make sure your Web site is “mobile” ready! Not all web sites convert to mobile platforms, so make sure that when you visit your web site from a smart phone it reformats for the viewer. It’s normally an easy fix, but it will pay big dividends for you and your company to have this feature built-in.
- Develop FREE Content! Its easier than ever for consumers to read blogs, e-books and other important information from their smart phones and tablet devices. Creating easy to download content for consumers can help you with your “opt-in” marketing efforts. The real estate agent who can capitalize on inbound marketing activities will finish profitably in 2013 and beyond. If you would like to find out more about how to utilize inbound marketing for your business, join me for a FREE Webinar on Monday, January 14th from 4-5 PM, C.S.T. You can sign up here! Yes, it’s FREE!
- Learn how to develop e-book applications! This actually goes along with the previous bullet point, but today it is easier than ever to take a Power Point slide show, PDF file or Word Document and make an interesting e-Book. I use a program from a company called FlipBuilder that makes this process quick and easy. I’ll show you how to use this during the FREE Webinar next week.
- Learn to use “local search” as a part of your marketing activities. One of my favorite blogs to read is from a marketing specialist named Laura Lake. She has an excellent article about this on her blog. Click here to read about how you can take advantage of Local Search.
- Think Video! One of my goals is to incorporate more “video” into my blog and real estate web site. In fact, I probably should be using video for this blog. But believe me, video is gaining more and more traction each year, and consumers like to watch videos. With that being said, use video to attract more clients and to promote your business.
- Incorporate “live chat” into your Web site. Another area that I have discussed and showed at many of my presentations over the past year, and one that should see an increase in 2013. Think about it, you have many consumers visiting your site each and every day. Unfortunately many consumers come and go and without the ability to chat or communicate to a live operator, you will miss out on picking up two, three or more new clients in 2013. There are some wonderful solutions that I share during my presentations, so feel free to write me if you need a recommendation or suggestion.
- And finally, 2013 should be a year to see clients appreciate the non-techie, personal touch person. That’s right, if there is one piece of tech advice I can give, its using the old fashion phone for a phone call, a pen and paper for a personal note, or just a simple knock on the door for a face to face, hi, how are you doing? Yes, we are a technology focused group, but for those agents who can utilize the personal touch method, 2013 will be huge for you! People appreciate and miss the personal follow-up skills so many sales agents have thrown away. Forget about e-mail from time to time, and pick up the phone for a personal phone call. In the end, you and your client will appreciate it!
I hope you have a GREAT 2013, and my goal is to keep my blog active with helpful tools, tips and information to make your year a successful one. As always, call or write me if you need help. – John Mayfield
I wrote this post a few years ago, but thought it was worth re-posting. Recently on a business trip I had a tired, weary eyed businessman sit next to me in the airport as we waited for our airplanes to arrive. I had sat in a nearby gate area across from my boarding vicinity since there were more chairs available in this section. As we waited, I could not help from overhearing a phone conversation this gentleman was having with his boss next to me on his cell phone.
