Advertising has become so integral to our daily lives that very few of us even question it.  Love it or hate it, we all know when we see an ad, as they tend to have those surreal qualities – those fundamental ingredients in the recipe for desire.

For real estate agents, marketing tends to work on two fronts: market your listings and market yourself.  Both feats require a substantial level of planning and effort, but if done right, you can quickly separate yourself from the pack.  Of all the things you can do to enhance your marketing, improving the core photographic elements should be at the forefront.

Turning photographs into advertisements

In terms of marketing yourself, a proper portrait is a must.  For real estate agents, your face is as important as your brand, and having an archive of four or five quality head shots will help you to advertise yourself as an industry professional.  Take these sample photos of real estate agent, Eric Billingsley, that compare a photo taken by a friend and a photo taken by a professional fashion photographer:

The five professional photos Eric received cost $200, but he assures that the “photos have more than paid for themselves.”  I know who I would choose if the two photos above were competing agents. Quite simply, professional photos resonate that above average quality that attracts consumers when purchasing products or services.

The same idea needs to be applied when marketing your listings.  A home is one of the biggest purchases a consumer will ever make, yet the visual marketing used to sell homes does not always stimulate a sense of desire. Photos have always been an important feature when marketing real estate, and even more so now as the majority of people shop online.  Here’s another comparison put together by Papilios Real Estate Photography that shows an amateur and professional photo of a listing.

The bottom line is that quality visuals attract buyers, please sellers, and enhance your visual appeal.  If you haven’t already, take the time to critique the photos you’re using to market yourself and your listings, or better yet, ask others to provide honest feedback for you. Ask yourself what the images say about you and your business, and determine if they can they be improved.

Fortunately for us here at Point2 we don’t have to wait any longer to spill the news – we are ecstatic to announce Express Tools, a brand new suite of powerful marketing tools launching today, June 20th.

What exactly is Express Tools? At it’s core, Express Tools is a suite of à la carte applications which we will be unveiling over the coming months. These apps are all designed to help you take care of your online marketing simply & effectively, with ease-of-use and low cost being key operative words (with no hidden fees or charges).

Check out the short video below, which expands more on the product suite, along with the first application to be released at launch – Site Builder.

As excited as we are? You can find out more information at Point2ExpressTools.com or by giving us a call at 1-888-277-9779.

Are you a Point2 Agent customer & interested to know what this new product suite means to you, or how it compares to current Point2 Agent packages? Check out our FAQ guide right here, which also contains a handy product comparison chart to show you what is included in each package. As always, our Customer Care team is also here to answer any questions you may have!

Typically, an advertising agency is the best route to get such work done. In reality though, most REALTORS® may not have, or wish to commit, the resources to undertake such an exercise.

This article is a relatively simple step by step guide to help you pin down an advertising promise that makes your brand stand out–a genuine and effective benefit oriented promise.

In the first article of this series, we described the term “Unique Value Proposition” as your market edge. Technically, that it is a sentence or paragraph that captures and describes the unique benefit your solution offers to a target audience and that ideally addresses an opportunity or pain point they face. The ultimate value proposition will not elaborate on the pain but rather focus entirely on the benefit you bring to the table. People buy benefits, not problems.

Step #1 – Identify a group of 10 – 20 people willing to give you unbiased, genuine feedback. Current and former clients are what you need (not friends or family members). Give this audience a good incentive to provide you with their genuine and real feedback. Gift cards or a drawing to win an iPad or camera may do the trick.

Let them know that:

• You need their input for an important branding exercise for your business
• That their candid and genuine input is crucial
• That there are no right or wrong answers. That all answers are critical to the exercise, and that what think may be bad input can be the best input they have, and the other way around.

Step #2 – Create a list of one or two word attributes that describe a great REALTOR® or their services. Then email, fax, or drop off the forms to just half of your research group and ask them to rank the attributes.

Here is an example:

Please rank, in order, the most important attributes you look for in a REALTOR®.

Note that you should not include more than ten attributes. Following are some suggestions but by no means use those. You know best what should go on the list. Just make sure the suggested attributes are not biased or self-serving. You want a solid, true exercise you can learn from and use to effectively reposition your business.

1)   Honesty

2)   Neighborhood knowledge

3)   Efficiency and productivity

4)   Speed of service/responsiveness

5)   Negotiation skills

6)   Etc. etc. etc.

7)   Other. Please add here:

Step #3 – Ask the audience, in the same document, to write your name next to any three of the attributes they believe you genuinely represent.

Once you’ve collected and analyzed the responses, you will have a list that highlights the attributes your market values most in a REALTOR®, and, from this first group, which of the top ranked attributes they think you represent. You may be surprised by the findings, but this is what the exercise is all about.

Armed with a clean sheet and new information, hand the the top attributes ranked by the first group, from most important to least important, to the second half of your research audience and ask them to put your name next to three of any of the descriptors. The objective is to further validate the findings that came out of the first group exercise.

While there will still be more work to do following the discovery phase, you will have reached a point where your advertising and messaging can begin to tackle criteria you know will hit a cord in your marketplace and that genuinely position you as a stand out advisor.

Use the findings intelligently to craft highly focused advertising and listing presentations. And, do NOT do what most marketers do. Resist the temptation to change things after a few months have passed.

Consistency, over time, is what creates equity and association around a brand. Repeat your message until home owners and prospective buyers in your area start to automatically suggest your name when asked for a REALTOR® who is ‘responsive’ or ‘is a very strong negotiator.’

The fun part is knowing that as you build towards this kind of strategic awareness, many of your competitors will be spinning their wheels trying to be everything to everyone.

As a final note, being associated with a #3 ranked attribute and playing up on that association in your positioning is far more powerful than trying to associate yourself with the #1 attribute that you are not that strong in. Effective market positioning is all about a relevant promise you can deliver on better than anyone else. Not about promising something everyone else can deliver on, or worse, that others can deliver on better than you.

Graduating from beginner to pro takes a lot of time and patience, but it’s truly never been easier to get busy at getting good.

The main advantage nowadays is that with a single instrument you can create both high-quality photo and video. No need to dump money into both fields as most new DSLRs are now equipped with HD video and photo resolution that handles pretty much any job.

If you’ve decided to go out and purchase a new camera and are looking for ways to develop your skills, there are countless resources on the web. Online training doesn’t need to cost a thing, and the pool of informative resources continues to grow by the minute. Here’s a list of just a few of the great places to start learning:

Vimeo Video School
Vimeo is no longer just YouTube’s classy little brother, they’ve began compiling and sorting training videos for the videographer in all of us. The lessons range from absolute beginner to pro, so there’s something for everyone. It’s growing constantly, and worth a look. Go to Vimeo Video School.

Adorama TV
What a stellar collection of videos here for photographers looking to learn. Adorama has seriously outdone themselves producing this epic pile of awesomeness. New episodes come out regularly, so keep checking back. Go to Adorama TV.

Photography for Real Estate
PFRE surfaces a ton of valuable information for real estate agents who are looking to up the ante of their photo and video creation. This blog has been running for a long time, and it’s difficult to search for information that hasn’t already been discussed. Go to PFRE Blog.

Pop Photo
Slightly more on the advanced side, Pop Photo has created a worthwhile “How To” section for photographers looking to gain an edge in their productions. Pop Photo is not real estate focused, but there are numerous tips and tricks that will assist in any genre. Go to Pop Photo’s “How To”.

Video for Real Estate
These guys seem to be riding on the wake of success of the PFRE blog mentioned above. Although there’s plenty of room to grow, VFRE has begun to compile a strong body of content designed to educate and encourage. The bonus here is that they are real estate focused, so the techniques discussed are completely relevant. Go to VFRE.

There’s plenty more out there, and if you have any great resources to add, feel free to leave them in the comments area below. Happy Shooting!

What does this mean exactly?

The partnership gives Point2 Agent members access to Proxio’s Global Referral Network.  Point2 Agent users will gain access to Proxio’s subscription-based referral network in over 100 countries, enabling them to market in areas typically beyond their reach. Proxio’s 19 language translation technology will also allow participating agents to market to multicultural clients in their own language, including through multilingual websites and social media.

Furthermore, Proxio subscribers will now have access to Point2′s listing syndication network.  Proxio users around the world will be able to tap Point2’s listing syndication network of over 60 third party real estate consumer websites, search engines, auction and classifieds advertising sites in North America, giving them easy access to one of the largest markets worldwide and enabling them to generate leads at no added cost.

For more details, check out the official press release right here.

One of the most highly effective and convincing uses of video in real estate can be found in client testimonials. They can be invaluable, influencing prospective clients to pick up the phone or write. Done wrong however, they can not only fail to deliver their intended objective, but in fact harm your image and business over the long term.

Banking on extensive experience in advertising, including the management of a major true testimonial campaign for a multinational brand, here are some dos and don’ts for video testimonials.

• ALWAYS feature real clients. The credibility this lends cannot be stressed enough.
• Ensure viewers understand that the testimonial is of a real client. A full screen caption ahead of the actual testimonial, or a small caption that appears during the recording should do it. Some clients may not wish to use their name on the video, so their initials as well as their city and state would do.
• Shoot the video where your client can be naturally happy about the subject being discussed. Their satisfaction would project in their voice and attitude. Inside or just outside the home you helped them buy are good options. A nice backyard with the client’s kids happily playing, or with a spouse smiling at their side are genuine and convincing. If all options are on the table, pick the one with the least noise interference potential (cars, sirens,  air conditioner, yelling).
• Prepare and use questions during your interview with the client that naturally lead them to discuss specific benefits you would like to promote. For example, “tell me how important negotiating the deal on your terms was to you, and how you feel your agent was able to assist you in that area.”
• Keep the testimonials short. 10 to 15 second bites are effective and not boring. Your viewers do not want a dissertation about you but, rather, they want to garner a sense of confidence in you before they make their decision on which Realtor® to choose.
• Film the footage at a slight angle so the subject is facing you and not looking directly at the camera. A tripod would make this task fairly straightforward. When editing or selecting the clips that will be used online, under no circumstance should you use material where the client flips between you and the camera lens.
• Mix into your final edit some close up shots on the subject’s face, to create an instant connection with your viewers. Add slightly wider shots to bring life to the video and incorporate some of the background such as a part of the home or kids playing on a swing or enjoying a board or video game. The camera’s focus should however remain on your subject at all times.
• Lighting and overall quality are key. If you are not confident with your own videography skills,  invest in someone who does. Film school students may be a great resource and may do your projects for you for free, to build their portfolios.
• Do not use ANY footage that sounds like a sales pitch. Viewers connect with real people sharing their true feelings, and are repelled by sales spiels. Tell your subjects to be themselves and when necessary, ask if you could re-take a scene. A camera play back on location is a good way to decide if a retake of a scene is in order.
• Audio is just as important as video resolution. Use a good quality microphone and test it beforehand.
• Capture important sentences and use them in other online and offline marketing materials such as listing presentations, ads and flyers or postcards.
• Prepare and get a release form signed by your client, allowing you to use the footage and content in your marketing, royalty free.

Written By:

Roger Noujeim
Director, Point2 Communications