I came across a real estate web site this week started by a Vancouver Realtor®, Kye Grace. Kye is using new technologies to show his personality and to create a dialog with his existing customer base and potential clients.
I keep hearing about what some are calling, “the new agent.” My opinion, based on what I am seeing on our real estate Twitter account, @RealEstate_QD, and what I am experiencing by getting involved in discussions on ActiveRain, is that the “new agent” isn’t necessarily the early 20’s agent straight out of school, but rather well-established real estate professionals who are now tapping into social media and enhancing their web presence to create lasting relationships with past clients.
They have also recognized that adding some type of social networking is just another part of their marketing mix — targeted direct mail campaigns to highlight a Just Listed or celebrate a Just Sold success in their local market, email as a follow-up to interested prospects and a consistent way to send information to their past customer base, and now social networks and their web site as a connection tool that they can use as a relationship building mechanism.
I think the down economy has forced us back to basics, meaning we have to focus on relationship building; creating a dialog and truly connecting on a personal level. The difference? Back in the day, we had a phone and a car and our own two feet to connect personally. Now we have mobile devices, social media, email, direct mail, video, instant Twitter updates, etc., etc.
Kye was recently featured for hosting an online open house. Now this is taking creativity and marketing to an entirely new level. He has a web site, a web cam, phone and a cell phone. But don’t take my word for it. Check out his video and see the success for yourself: Kye Grace’s 72-hour open house.
So, here’s an idea: Schedule an open house and plan to host it online via a web cam. Advertise your event with a direct mail piece targeted to prospects that would be most interested in the property, along with an email reminder and a posting out to your social network. Give it a try and share how it worked for you. Who knows… maybe you’ll be the next big story on the news!