Not too long ago, two friends of mine opened up their own Real Estate Brokerage in the NYC Metro area. Since then, they have shown all the signs of doing everything right: business plans, heavy recruiting, social media engagement, and so on. It was only natural that, in order to show my support, I join their Facebook group and become a Fan on their page.
Recently, however, I began to notice that I was getting what I deemed to be superfluous amounts of company updates sent directly to my inbox. Some examples:
In response to this, I gently suggested that the company reserve this type of information for venues such as company blog/webpage, subscription based newsletters, or even the Fan Page/Group wall. I reasoned that such company-specific news is something that people want to have the choice to read, and not sent directly to their Facebook inbox for them to almost have to read. After all, I’m going on Facebook to see what’s new with the people I want to know about (and to do a quick scan of the people who just show up on my feed).
My friend reasons that, if someone friends a business, they should expect to hear about that business. I agree, but only insofar as to the extent that I described above. Maybe it’s just me, but if I were to send everyone who is a fan/group member a message on Facebook about listings, recruits, etc., I would do so with the fear that I was being a tad offensive, and that I’d risk losing members.
For retailers, I can see getting messages about upcoming sales or specials- if I signed up to receive them.
What do you think… does joining a company group constitute consent to receive messages in your Facebook inbox? Are the examples above the type of information that should be getting sent out? I’d love some feedback.
I came across this video this morning and thought I’d share. Since the decline of print, the world has been wondering what traditional print mediums will do to survive. This looks like a very interesting answer.
There is a thorough amount of interactivity, the information streams, and there is no more waiting in the mail for your latest issue.
For advertisers, content can be localized and interactive. Can you imagine taking out an ad spot on this tablet that allows the reader to browse your featured homes of the month… virtual tour, narration, and all?
I’d love to hear what you think about this… have a look.
It seems that Web 3.0, alongside what 3.0 will ultimately be, is increasingly becoming the topic du jour.
Steven Groves, author of The Social Media Bible, is hosting a Lucha Libre themed Web 3.0 Smackdown event on Tuesday, November 24th at 1:00PM EST. You can tune into the mayhem at BlogTalkRadio’s website.
It should make for some interesting discussion. To further the drama, I am sticking to my guns as a proponent of why we SHOULDN’T be spending our time trying to guess what Web 3.0 is/will be.
It’s no big secret: print mediums are hurting. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to learn of Esquire Magazine’s latest experiment. The December 2009 issue features a form of augmented reality. It’s interesting in that the line become reader and user is blurred when this issue is used as intended. With Robert Downey Jr. on the cover, you can hold the cover up to your webcam, and he will all of a sudden pop up on your monitor and speak to you. Features like this are apparent throughout the issue. It is cognisant of time and date, and provides a level of interactivity never before seen in a printed magazine. A video demonstration can be seen below.
Do you think this type of technology, while still relatively expensive, can help justify print ads in the Real Estate Industry? Imagine taking a full page ad out in the paper that, when held up to your webcam, suddenly and mysteriously produces an image of your company’s president speaking straight to the consumer. As you rotate the physical ad, the president delivers different messages in front of different homes in different locations. Would you like to try this out? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
In the land of search, Google is king. There is no doubting that, and there has been no room to doubt that for quite some time now. However, with the rise in popularity of Twitter, Facebook, and other social applications, Google has not been able to rule the realm of real-time.
As Halloween approaches, I thought this nice little bit of historical litigation was appropriate. In the 1991 case, Stambovsky v. Ackley, the New York Supreme Court ruled that the would-be purchaser of a home in Nyack, NY be reimbursed his initially forfeited down payment. Why? Because the house was haunted, of course.
While Rental Agents only exist in a handful of metropolitan areas, this applies to anyone who has ever had trouble getting their property rented out.
While I was surfing the web, I came across a pretty nifty site. Rentshout is a site specifically tailored to those looking to get their property rented fast. While most of us are used to putting it our ads up on Craigslist or Postlets, Rentshout places your rental listing on about 60 different sites. It also has a lot of cool features that come with each listing, including: virtual tours, click to call, downloadable rental applications, and more. It definitely seems far superior to Postlets, which- as far as syndicates go- was probably your best bet up until now. Heck, Rentshout even offers you your own “lead management system” for each specific property.
The only downside? Postlets and Craigslist are free, while Rentshout will cost you a few dollars. It’s $29.99 for one listing, and $90.00 for five. Considering all the tools and syndication provided, however, I say Rentshout is definitely worth the investment.
The advent of Social Media, alongside its subsequent utility in the professional arena, has been the topic of much conversation over the last 18 months. As a matter of fact, no Real Estate conference this side of Mars hasn’t had a panel discussion or outright speaker’s session on how agents can use Social Media to their advantage.
Somewhere between 18 months ago and today, I began to feel a lurid anticipation towards these types of events. From locally organized get-togethers to those held on the national (and international level), there wasn’t a program to be found that didn’t have at least 45 minutes dedicated to the topic of, you guessed it: Social Media.
As my eyes scanned any given agenda, I would become excited at what I might learn that day… “New Websites That Provide Powerful Tools for Your Company and Agents” at 10:00 AM. “Latest Technology Created Specifically for the Real Estate Industry” at 12:30 PM, “NYU Economist Predicts How Long We Will Face Recession” at 3:00 PM. “Networking Hour. Open Bar.” at 6:30 PM. All of these things flooded me with a certain expectation that promised to fulfill the itch for knowledge I had woken up with that very morning.
Then, out of nowhere, my darting eyes would abruptly stop. The momentum that was picking up in my brain would smack into a solid brick wall that was built around the pillars of Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Without fail, a bead of sweat would slowly roll down into the corner of my eye as I looked about aimlessly, confused and afraid. Will this be the one? I’d ask myself. Will this be the one where I learn something? Will this be the one that is somehow different than alloftheotherones?
For the record: I’m all about vertical search engines, especially the ones related to real estate.
If “Zestimates” are the only Zannoyances you’ve had to deal with in your real estate career, count yourself lucky. Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with Zillow’s customer service. Read More…
Ok, so this is actually from yesterday, but I’ve been too excited to post until now. I FINALLY got invited to test out Google Voice and I’ve been playing around with it. For all those who know me, expect to get my new number soon. Also, have a look at my “Call Me” widget to the right. If you ever want to get a hold of me, all you have to do is click the link, enter your phone number, and Google will reach out through space and time to connect us.
I’ll have a more objective stance on this once the excitement wears off.
