Outlined below is the list of digital tools, tips, and tricks that I presented at my NARCampTo 2010 session. To keep the length of these posts down I have broken this list up into four separate sections, which I will post over the next couple of days.
1) Blogging Using WordPress
Blogging is a powerful marketing tool for agents because it provides you with the ability to engage both your clients and new prospects, demonstrates your expertise in a specific area, extends your sphere of influence, and familiarizes your readers with your personality. The more niche your focus, the better: i.e. http://modernhomesportland.com/. Keep your posts short (250-300 words), incorporate video and images whenever possible and post frequently.
To get started you need to first register a domain name. I recommend doing it through Godaddy.com. You then need a host, which is where your blog is going to live. I recommend using Bluehost.com as they have a one-button set-up to get WordPress onto your host ($8.00/month I think). Once the host is set up, you need to contact Godaddy and have them change your domain’s nameserver to point at Bluehost (don’t worry: they will know what that means!). Then, you need a website template (in the WordPress world they are called themes). You can just Google “wordpress themes” to find sites that have them . One of my favourites is www.woothemes.com. Once you have those pieces in place, you are ready to start blogging!
2) Freelancer Marketplaces
These are places where you can go online to find freelancers who are pretty much willing to do anything for a price. I have used freelancers to do everything from designing a logo to editing a video and even developing a full website. There are two sites worth checking out:
- Elance.com for larger more complicated projects
- Fiverr.com for smaller projects. Everything is priced at $5
3) iPad
The iPad is a fantastic presentation tool that can help you stand apart from the competition. In the U.S.,74% of agents use paper presentation material. By using an iPad you are distinguishing yourself from the majority of the competition right off the bat, and in such a competitive business, any edge helps. The iPad is powerful because you can use live information and show examples of marketing plans you have executed for clients. This is much more powerful than just using static printed words and screenshots.
One of my favourite quotes from NAR came from Dale Chumbley. He was asked, “What is the ROI of an iPad?” His response was, “I don’t know! Just buy one!”
In my next post I will be going over QR Codes, listening posts like twilert.com, social media syndication services like posterous.com, and Dropbox.
