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Episode 6: Bill Yaman, President of Imprev
It’s no secret that the marketing game has changed. How do modern brands stay relevant, push boundaries, and make a name for themselves in today’s crowded digital space?
In this episode of the REAL with MoxiWorks podcast, you’ll hear from Bill Yaman, President and COO of Imprev (one of our amazing MoxiCloud partners) and York Baur, CEO of MoxiWorks on what this technology-driven era means for the marketing strategies of leading companies and real estate brokerages.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
52 Blog-Worthy Topics Clients Will Love
By Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager
I didn’t understand why someone would get excited over gardening or DIY projects until I moved into my own home. Now, the mere thought of someone sending me seeds to plant in our backyard gets my pulse going at an embarrassing rate. Just sitting here thinking about heirloom tomatoes and repainting our front door is making my heart race, it’s sad but true!
Now all I think about are the ways in which we can improve our home or what we’ll want when we build our dream home one day. Not only that, but since the city we’re in is constantly buzzing with new restaurants, wineries, shops, breweries, and more, I love to try and keep up with the latest and greatest in our area. I’m constantly checking the locally-focused social media channels and blogs, especially real estate focused ones. In fact, our favorite family-owned Thai restaurant just had to close its doors so we’re currently in the market for our new go-to Thai spot – guess where I’m going to look for recommendations!
Would your blog (or social media channels) be one that I would be able to get all this information from? If yes, great job! You’re probably looking for more real estate blog topics. If no, don’t worry, we have a TON of ideas for you to use as a starting place. We’ve come up with a giant list of real estate blog topics (that you can also use for social media!) to keep your clients, prospects, and those in your community hooked to your content.
1. New restaurants
2. The best flowers to plant for your area, in terms of climate, level of maintenance, etc.
3. DIY: How to build your own fire pit
4. The best boutique to find wedding guest attire
5. Restaurants that have closed + your fav alternatives
6. A list of your favorite wineries ranked in order (although no wineries are really bad, are they?)
7. Antiquing: where is the hidden treasure?
8. Best ways to improve curb appeal
9. DIY: Dog food station with storage
10. Best ways to organize your home office
11. Blinds or curtains? Why? Indoor vs. outdoor?
12. Your favorite new home gadgets
13. Childproofing a home
14. DIY: Best colors of painted cabinets
15. Tips for hiring a contractor
16. Spring cleaning/maintenance checklist
17. Summer camps for kids
18. Plays and musicals coming to town
19. Air quality? Does it matter? How do you maintain it?
20. Local market updates
21. DIY: How to organize a bookshelf to make a statement
22. A long list of your recommendations for contractors/cleaners/etc. in your area
23. Do’s and don’ts of wall color
24. DIY: How to build a blanket ladder
25. Best indoor plants
26. Breweries, ranked!
27. How to make your house smell amazing
28. List of after school programs
29. DIY: How to build a garden box
30. Tips for avoiding package theft from your porch
31. Brunch or bust: your fav local spots
32. List of family-friendly summer activities
33. Home hacks, what actually works?
34. Security systems/cameras
35. DIY: She sheds/man caves
36. How to pick out and arrange a bar cart
37. Gyms, by price and packages!
38. List of local marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, etc.
39. The best coffee shops in town
40. Concerts coming to town
41. Bathroom renovation tips
42. Ways to increase home value
43. Storage ideas for home and garage
44. Tips for turning your bathroom into a spa
45. DIY: kitchen backsplash
46. Wall décor ideas
47. How to make your home feel more cozy
48. DIY: how to build a vertical garden
49. School districts/schools in the area, ranked
50. Easiest vegetables to grow
51. Local charities to volunteer at or donate to
52. Selling tips, including home value, things to avoid, etc.
We hope you enjoyed these real estate blog topics! For more, check out our monthly e-magazine, Mile 62, built just for YOU!
#ICYMI: May 2019 Real Estate News
By Jessie Trapp, Marketing Coordinator & Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager
The May madness has quickly come and gone and we’re full speed ahead into the busy season. A lot happened in May. We said goodbye to Game of Thrones, hello to Pikachu, and started working on our summer bodies – but what happened in real estate? We have the scoop!
In case you missed it, here are the top five May 2019 real estate news stories to know:
1. “RE/MAX and Redfin end exclusive partnership after 2 months”
Like a summer romance, the partnership between RE/MAX and Redfin has ended almost as quickly as it started. What happened to this budding relationship, you ask? Redfin introduced a new tool that allows people without buyer’s agents to place offers online on Redfin-listed homes in Boston.
According to Inman, the RE/MAX CEO had this to say about it: “Given Redfin’s recent announcement regarding a program that would encourage buyers not to use agents on listings where the seller is represented by Redfin, we cannot continue with an official, corporate-level relationship at this time.” We’re with him on this one.
2. “CENTURY 21 Scheetz First-to-Market in Indiana to Offer Affordable Healthcare to Its Relentless Sales Professionals”
RISMedia recently published a Century 21 announcement that stated, “CENTURY 21 Scheetz has announced that it is offering affordable healthcare plans to help its 350-plus relentless sales professionals.” The plan was built specifically for real estate agents which includes 24/7/365 care, reduced healthcare costs by up to 50%, coverage for physician visits, and more.
Mic drop.
3. “Airbnb will hand over data on 17K listings to New York City officials”
Airbnb and the Big Apple aren’t exactly getting along. In the aftermath of a subpoena that NYC issued back in February, Airbnb has finally agreed to give New York City officials data on 17,000 listings. According to Inman, “city officials specifically wanted information on Airbnb stays that lasted less than 30 days and involved entire apartments — a type of booking that is actually illegal in New York. The city also wanted data on certain Airbnb listings for private and shared rooms.”
To be continued.
4. “NAR Moves to Dismiss ‘Baseless’ Lawsuit, Hopes to Consolidate All Cases”
So, here’s the scoop: Allegedly, NAR conspired to inflate commissions by requiring all real estate agents to “make a blanket, non-negotiable offer of buyer broker compensation when listing a property on a Multiple Listing Service (MLS),” which also happens to violate federal antitrust laws. Queue lawsuit. NAR filed a motion to dismiss said lawsuit saying it was baseless and that the other side of the aisle didn’t know how real estate works. TBD on how this all plays out in court.
Read more about it here.
5. “The Amazon Effect: Prices Up, Listings Down Near Its New HQ2 in Virginia”
As pretty much every single person predicted and no one doubted, the real estate market has rapidly changed where Amazon is launching their new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. In fact, home sales in this town have jumped 50% compared with the previous year, according to a recent realtor.com® report.
As Seattle natives, we know all too well about the “Amazon Effect.” Our advice to Arlingtoners is: get really comfortable with being in your car or on public transit and queue up those podcasts and audiobooks – you’re going to need them.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for another #ICYMI next month!
P.S. If you’re into podcasts (and if you’re not, you should be) we have our very own! The latest episode of the REAL with MoxiWorks podcast featuring Greg Scott, VP of Branch Services at Long & Foster Real Estate, is out now. Have a listen!
MoxiWorks Agent Spotlight: Tyler Freed
By Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager
It goes without saying that if we’re spotlighting an agent, they’re obviously the bee’s knees, but we’re going to say it anyways. Tyler Freed is a broker/owner at the Windermere Real Estate PSK Maple Valley Four Corners office. Not only is he insanely talented at what he does, he is also driven and fully focused on delighting his clients time and time again. He also happens to be a marketing maven in his own right, making sure he has his eye on the prize with the help of digital advertising.
Find out more about him and what marketing tactics he’s using to stay competitive below!
Why do you love being a real estate agent?
“I love how each day is full of problem solving and never the same. It allows me to work with friends and challenges my competitiveness.”
What is your fondest client memory?
“Every transaction is different, but my favorite client memory of all time would have to be when I sold a mini farm a few years back. The seller made me a custom mug, wrote the nicest card and gave me a gift card. That gesture really went a long way for me and confirmed why I love this line of work so much.”
How has Promote (advertising your listings & services) helped your business?
“Promote is the easiest way to get online traffic to my listings. It looks a lot more professional than other social media advertising and is great tool to show sellers at listing presentations.”
What is your favorite part about Promote?
“I like that it easy to use and delivers the exposure I need to sell listings.”
Would you recommend Promote to other agents? If so, why?
“Yes, Promote is priced competitively, easy to use and in line with our Windermere branding.”
Any tips for other agents using Promote?
“I recommend using it the second your listing goes live and to make sure you bring it up to your sellers in your marketing plan to get their home sold quickly. Always utilize the drop down features for the just listed or open house banners and add your headshot and firm on all ads.”
Thanks, Tyler Freed, for giving us some insight into why you love using Promote to serve your clients and grow your business!
At MoxiWorks our main goal is to help agents by making their day-to-day tasks more efficient, so they have time to do more of what they love doing, which is helping their clients home dreams come to fruition. We’re grateful to hear our new tool, Promote, makes a difference. For anyone out there interested in learning more about this advertising tool, you can do so here.
William Raveis & MoxiWorks
4 Tricks for Achieving Your Real Estate Goals
By Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager
Motivation is hard to build in insolation. Only the extremely driven and ambitious people are able to perfect it and keep the fire burning over long periods of time. In reality, most of us don’t feel motivated all of the time and you know what? That’s OK. Motivation, like other feelings, comes in ebbs and flows and because of that, we need to act when we’re feeling it.
The keys to staying motivated when it comes to your real estate goals.
I could really go on and on about the importance of setting and writing down goals, but you already know that – that’s the easy part. The hard part is actually achieving them and taking the million steps to get there. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Amazon, Starbucks, or the empire that is Fredrik Eklund. So, without further ado, here are a handful of tips to keep you on the path to success when it comes to achieving your real estate goals.
1. Make sure they’re YOUR goals.
It’s hard to stay motivated regardless, but it will be downright impossible to achieve goals that you don’t want deep down. Make sure you are the one in control of where your business life is leading. At the end of the day it’s up to you to see it through, so don’t let others force you into goals that don’t align with your own.
2. Let go of what you can’t control.
Whether it’s a tough-to-handle coworker, particularly frustrating client, or home inspection gone wrong, don’t let these get to you and affect your daily life. As humans, we only have so much brainpower and only so much energy to care about things. If you’re putting all of that brainpower and energy into mulling over things again and again in your head, how is that helping you achieve your real estate goals? What energy are you taking away from your productivity and putting towards something you have no control over? Not only is this an unhealthy business practice, but it’s an unhealthy life practice.
Sometimes all we can do is try our very best and move on. That’s the important piece: moving forward despite obstacles. If you haven’t read this particular book, it dives deep into this topic, and I very much recommend it.
3. Reward yourself (within reason) for progress made.
I had this roommate in college. She used to do something that I thought to be pretty silly while studying, but looking back on it, maybe she was onto something. As a student of the sciences, she had tons of reading material and studying to get through. The textbooks were massive and to reward herself for finishing a page, she’d put a skittle or M&M at the bottom of it. See I told you, strange, right? But it worked for her.
Now, I’m not saying you play with candy at work, but I am saying rewarding yourself is an important piece to motivation. Here are some ideas that come to mind:
– Treat yourself to your favorite restaurant when you’re 25%, 50%, and 75% towards your GCI goal
– Win a new client? Go buy yourself that extra sugary drink from Starbucks that you normally feel guilty about
– After a big home closing, take a day off to rest and reset
4. It’s about bite-sized chunks.
You can’t keep envisioning all of the work you have to do in order to achieve your goal, it will drive you insane. Or, to the Valley of Despair, which is very much a real thing. Essentially, the Valley of Despair is where you find yourself once you realize all of the work, blood, sweat, and tears that it will take to achieve your goal – it’s the bottom of an inverted bell curve. You can also think of it as your fork in the road: either keep going or quit now.
The way to push through is to ignore the momentous amount of work ahead and instead focus on what you have to do today, and maybe tomorrow, in order to push through and continue climbing. If you do that, your mindset will shift, and you’ll be able to continue chipping away at your real estate goals until you achieve them.
I sincerely hope these tips help, or if nothing else, allow you to think outside the box a little bit in what is going to help you stay motivated and keep going when the going gets tough. Your real estate goals may seem lofty at times, but they’re definitely achievable! If you’d like other tips for your real estate business, checkout our blog here.
Welcome to the MoxiCloud, Paradym!
By Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager
The forever-growing MoxiCloud just got even bigger with the latest addition of marketing software partner, Paradym! For those that don’t know, the MoxiCloud is at the heart and soul of MoxiWorks, connecting all brokerage data and tools into one point of truth. The MoxiCloud is built on an open platform model that gives brokerages the freedom to pick and choose their own tools, retain current investments, and most importantly, maintain control of their own data.
We now have 50+ partners that integrate into the MoxiCloud, such as DocuSign, Buyside, MoveEasy, QuantumDigital, and many more. We’re excited to welcome Paradym as the newest member of the MoxiCloud squad.
So, what do they do? Simple. Paradym makes marketing super easy for real estate agents with the power of automation. Here’s how they do it:
Brilliant marketing campaigns for every listing, automatically.
Paradym combines MLS listing data, text, voice, and visual effects into elegant stories, so agents can use Paradym to share those stories about client successes, properties and places, and engage more prospective buyers and sellers.
Coaching at its finest.
When you sign up for Paradym, you’re immediately connected with a success coach. You’ll get to know each other, and they’ll be able to tailor a marketing plan that fits your specific needs. Plus, you can call the coach at any time along the way.
Tell your story.
Once you get a feel for how Paradym works, you can start sharing your stories. These stories invite potential clients into your world and help keep you top of mind. You can use Paradym to tell stories about people (think client success stories!), places (think neighborhoods), and/or specific properties!
The ways you can tell your stories.
Paradym’s marketing toolkit is packed with great stuff. Agents can easily create single property sites for all or just their tops listings, listing videos, easy lead capturing and reporting, social media campaigns, and more. Agents can do it all on the go from their powerful app.
Progress is everything.
An agent dashboard allows users to constantly be tracking the progress, keeping them on track to get the most out of Paradym’s technology.
MoxiCloud + Paradym.
The MoxiCloud and Paradym integration will include SSO (single-sign-on) and API integration, which means agents will spend less time doing duplicate data entry and logging into multiple places, giving them more time to focus on what they do best: helping their clients!
Great to have you aboard, Paradym! If you’re interested in finding out more about Paradym and what it can do for your brokerages and agents, you can do so here.
MoxiWorks Agent Spotlight: Michelle Harrington
By Tiana Baur, Marketing Manager
One of the absolute best parts of working at MoxiWorks is getting to see agents not only succeed, but also excel in growing their business, delighting their clients, and making home dreams come true. Michelle Harrington, of Windermere Real Estate in Bellingham, WA, is definitely one of those agents that stands out amongst the rest. Because of that, we couldn’t help but to dig in and see what exactly is making her so successful.
Tech-savvy, forward-thinking, and with a great marketing strategy, Michelle is one to watch. Find out more about her and her favorite advertising tool, Promote, below.
Why do you love being a real estate agent?
“Knowing that I am good at what I do and able to bring this experience to my clients.”
What is your fondest client memory?
“My very first transaction in 2002, where I held an open house for a colleague and the buyer walked in 30 minutes after the open house was over. I followed up with this buyer and he said he wanted to bring his wife by the next day at lunch hour. She was in agreement it was the right house; we wrote a contingent offer and I listed their home on what would feel like the first day of fall. It was windy and rainy on their listing day – we received an offer and sold it the same day, signing their purchase and sale agreement by candlelight. They are still my dear friends today. They truly launched me, and I am grateful!”
How has Promote (advertising your listings & services) helped your business?
“My sellers expect to see their home online. I am able to say so much more about a property and reach people far and wide.”
What is your favorite part about Promote?
“Promote is simple to use and with each new listing or sold – it’s right there as a reminder to use it.”
Would you recommend Promote to other agents? If so, why?
“It is a time saver and packs a punch with social media with one click.”
Any tips for other agents using Promote?
“To get in the habit of using it—layering with social media and traditional marketing is important for your clients so you can be sure you are targeting certain groups.”
Thanks, Michelle for your wisdom and story! We’re honored to be creating and improving tools that, in turn, help you help your clients! For anyone out there interested in learning more about Promote, you can do so here.
Episode 5: Greg Scott, VP of Branch Services at Long & Foster Real Estate
There’s no question that Greg Scott, VP of Branch Services at Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc is a real estate technology pro. His experience as a real estate agent showed him firsthand the power of technology, and now he’s teaching agents around the country how to leverage it in their own businesses. Known for his creative use of video mail, he’s transforming the world of training within real estate. In this episode of the REAL with MoxiWorks podcast, you’ll hear Greg and Daniel Bailey, Senior Account Manager at MoxiWorks discuss why technology benefits agents and what brokerages can do to drive the adoption of it.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Hey, Brokerages! Time to Get Excited for Automated Listing Ads
Automated listing ads are coming soon! Here’s why you should get excited (and exactly how to get started).
By Jessie Trapp, Marketing Coordinator
In a world where 46% of Americans check their smartphones before getting out of bed every morning, digital marketing is a key component to meeting your target audience where they are already spending their time: online. However, finding the time and resources to invest in creating digital ad campaigns for your listings is a roadblock being faced by many real estate pros looking to utilize this powerful form of marketing.
Agents don’t have the time to be knee-deep in the trenches of digital marketing because they’re too busy out in the field doing what only humans are capable of doing – building strong relationships. On the flip side, brokerages don’t have the time to support agents’ listings on an agent-by-agent basis, as they have powerhouse businesses to run. The compromise?
Automated listing ads.
With the next upgrade coming soon to Promote, you’ll be able to support your agent’s listings without any heavy lifting. This new ability, which will be provided at no additional cost to current MoxiWorks users, will allow you to enable automated ad campaigns for your agents’ listings with a few clicks and a simple, set-it-and-forget-it style workflow.
Taking your technology offering a step further and supporting your agents’ listings through automated ad campaigns will put your agents, and your brokerage, far ahead of the game.
Here’s why this upgrade will be so powerful for your business:
One. With automated listing ad campaigns, you’ll be able to set your budget and spend as little or as much as your heart desires, meaning you’ll always be in control of what you allocate towards them.
No contract. No minimum. The power lies 100% with you.
Two. Providing agents with these campaigns shows that you’re tech savvy and know the important role that digital marketing plays in their businesses.
Three. Providing this boost demonstrates that you’re invested in your agents and their success, so much so that you’ll even take on a portion of the marketing spend to prove it.
Four. Refreshed ads featuring all of your brokerages active listings will constantly be circulating and reaching the masses. That’s powerful marketing for your brand, let alone your agents’.
Five. More eyes on listings means shorter time from list to close, and more time for additional transactions.
Six. When your get the ball rolling on your agents’ ads, it allows them to see the immediate impact digital advertising has on their businesses and will encourage them to incorporate automated ads into their own marketing activities moving forward, a win for everyone.
So, there you have it. If you didn’t previously think of providing digital advertising services as a major value-add when it comes to recruiting, retention and adoption of technology – now you know, and it’s time to jump on this train, pronto.
Here’s exactly how to get started:
Step 1: Make sure you’re ready to hit the ground running.
None of this magic can happen if the feature isn’t turned on for your brokerage.
The MoxiMarketing advertising suite, which will soon include the automated listing ad function comes free to all current MoxiWorks customers, all you have to do is ask your designated Account Manager to turn it on.
Contact them now so you’ll be able to use this powerful tool the second it’s available.
Step 2: Open the automated listing ads builder
Once it’s released, you’ll be able to access the automated listing ads builder by opening the My Advertisements tab in your account holder’s MoxiWorks account.
Step 3: Create an ad campaign
Next, you’ll complete a list of parameters to create your campaign. These will include:
- The design (copy, colors, branding)
- The spend (overall budget, spend per ad)
- Choose whose listings you’d like to advertise (which agents, price points, offices, regions, organizations)
- Craft a personalized message to the agents you’re advertising for
Step 4: Mentally prepare for a brand explosion
And just like that, your beautiful brokerage branding will be painted across every listing ad placed on Facebook, Instagram, AND Facebook Audience Network as part of your new campaign.
This means that it will be seen in places such as:
- Forbes
- Vogue
- CBS
- NFL Network
- New York Times
- HGTV
- Huffington Post
And many, many more.
Sit back, relax, and watch your brand recognition get a major boost in record time.
Step 5: Keep an eye on your campaigns
The ad reporting functionality built into the automated listing ads feature will make it easy for you to track ad performance and see firsthand the massive boost you’re giving your agent’s businesses. You’ll see it and want to do a celebratory dance, as you will officially be supporting your agents with a best-of-breed, innovative advertising experience.
Want to learn more about the MoxiMarketing suite? Here’s the rundown.
