Three Digital Marketing Trend Updates

The digital marketing world is always changing. As a Marketing Coordinator for Marketplace Home Mortgage, I always making sure I am in the know by reading updates and catching-up on the new trends.

Here are three updated trends in digital marketing:

1.       Google’s new update relies tremendously on social media for SEO

Google is ready to set the bar even higher with social media. Social media platforms are crucial when trying to build SEO. You need to have more than just one platform to show Google your information is organic and real. You want to become the expert in your field. I would highly suggest having a Google+ page, Facebook Business Page and LinkedIn profile for bare minimum. With the organic online marketing ecosystem growing, Google is relying more on social media signals to inform its search engine rankings.  

2.       Facebook’s new algorithm change

Facebook’s new algorithm for its News Feed calls for timely posts about information that provides value to your social media audience. Google and Facebook have made changes to their platforms to push businesses to focus more on the “human experience.” Think more about the user experience, your target audience, and the way you market your business.  A great way to do this is to bring in content from your blog to feature on your business page.

3.       More Brands Utilizing Instagram

Instagram has surpassed Twitter for the amount of daily active users rising to 300 million! Instagram have started to add sponsored posts within user’s timelines, giving brands even more of a reason to establish a presence on their platform. Instagram for a Real Estate Agent could be a great new social media platform to use to gain more clientele. By having your profile open to the public and using the proper hashtags with your listings you could get quadruple the amount of views.

This year is going to see a lot of change in how people consume marketing online. I will help make sure you are in the know with all the latest updates and trends to help your marketing be the best! If you would like to schedule a time to meet with me please contact me at nroycraft@marketplacehome.com. For more information on social media read my blog. 

Three Questions Recently Asked By Real Estate Agents To Their Marketing Coordinator

There are many different questions agents ask me on a daily basis. After working inside the Keller Williams Integrity NW for about 6 months now, I have heard a few questions multiple times by all different levels of agents whether it be brand new agents, cappers, teams, etc. 

1. What is the best way to promote my listing/open house? 

The first thing when you get a new listing/pen house is to go into your KW account and make a flyer.  After you have created the flyer, save it to your desktop. Then go to your business Facebook page and post it on your wall. If this is an Open House, create an event with the time, date, and address of the open house and put the flyer in the event. Invite all of your friends. To get people outside of your network to see the property create an ad. I typically do a $3.00 a day leading up to the open house or however long you want to do it for your listing. You can add more pictures of the house within the ad creation. This could help you reach over 600 people a day within the area of your listing.

2. How much and what content should I post on my business Facebook page?

Typically you should post on your business Facebook page 3-4 times a week. I usually tell agents every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Make sure to pull information from your website that people will have to fill out. For Example: Your Home’s Value, Search Properties, etc. Post pictures and flyers of new listings, blogs, and other information you believe your clients should know. It doesn't always have to be about your business, it could be something interesting you read on how to stage a home or a tip you found on the “Did You Know” campaign.

3. How do I use the Mobile App?

Go to your App Store and search for KW Realty. Download the KW Realty App. Once it is downloaded, open the app and click on view terms of use, click I accept, then it will open the app. Now on the main screen you will see you can search for homes, click on nearby homes, nearby rentals, contact agent (You), etc. If you put your finger over those boxes and scroll to the left it will bring up more. Click on the “Share App” box. Now you can put in a client’s phone number to have them download the app. Many agents use this at Open Houses. If you are at an open house and meet people who are looking in the area, go into your mobile app and have them add their phone number. Once they have downloaded the app on their phone show them how to look at nearby homes in the area and if the click contact agent – it will call you directly!

I hope by answering these three commonly asked questions, it will help you with your marketing for 2015. If you have any questions or would like to meet with me to go over more questions you may have on marketing please email me or check out my website. 

25 New UpgradesYou May Not Know About The iPhone 6!

Apple is at it again! Coming out with the best cell phone technology year after year. With the new version of the iPhone there are many different ways to make contact no matter what you are doing. It is the perfect phone for people of all ages. The iPhone 6 could tremendously help you and your Real Estate career by all of the great new features.

1. Navigate with a swipe. Instead of having to touch the back button - swipe from left to right across the screen to go backward, or swipe from right to left to go forward. This works in many apps, including Safari, Mail, and Messages. This could help quicken your time as a Realtor going back and forth between all your emails and text messages!  
   
   
2. Now you can capture multiple shots of the action. Burst mode continuously snaps 10 photos per second and the iPhone analyzes the photos in real time to suggest the best of the bunch. 
   
3. There is now a timer to set a 3 or 10 second timer. To activate timer mode and burst mode together press the camera button then release when ready.
    
    
4. Touch anywhere on the screen and slide up or down to capture the right amount of light for your photo with the new adjust exposure trick. This could come in handy when you are taking a picture of their landscape or garden. 
   
   
5. Snap photos using the volume buttons!
   

6. Tap the search icon on the top in your photo settings, and you’ll get options to search by date, time the photo was taken, location, or album name. One more tap gives you access to photos taken nearby, favorite photos, or photos taken on the same date last year.



7. Hide Your Photos! Touch and hold a photo to hide it from Moments, Collections, and Years. You can view all hidden photos by visiting your Hidden photos album. If you want to keep your home life and work life private you can set up different albums for it and hide certain photos you don’t want everyone to see. 





8. View the locations of your pictures on a map by clicking the location heading under Years, Collections, or Moments. When you meet with clients you can show them on the map how many homes you have sold in that area.




9. Did you know you can leave a conversation whenever you want in a group message now? Or that you can tap on details, turn on Do Not Disturb, and read your messages later? With the new iPhone 6 you can start a group conversation and give it a name. You can include and exclude who you want.  As Real Estate Agents this could be very helpful when you are at a showing or closing to turn on DO NOT DISTURB and read all the messages later. 

10. You can now swipe down on a new message notification to reply without leaving the app you’re using and share what you’re seeing as you see it!  

11. In a text message, touch and hold the camera button and swipe up for a photo or swipe right for a video to take a picture to send directly to a friend. 

12. If you are hands free or driving touch and hold the microphone button to record your message. Then swipe up to send it. To hear the message, tap the play button!  

13. Share your location! More and more Realtors are becoming hesitant to doing Open Houses because of the recent murders and kidnaps. With the new iPhone you can share your whereabouts with your loved ones or friends while you are there so they know if you leave that location or where to find you if something were to happen. This is also a great feature for kids so parents know where they are. 

14. If you tap details you can see all the attachments from a conversation! Touch and hold an attachment and tap more to save or delete multiple items at once.


 
 
15. With the new Health App on the iPhone 6 you can create a Medical ID. Create an emergency card that’s accessible from your Lock screen. To add or edit your information, go to the Health app and tap Medical ID on the bottom right. Access your card from the Lock screen by tapping Emergency and then selecting Medical ID on the bottom left. This allows everyone to see what your allergies are, emergency contacts, and more in case of an emergency. 


16. Siri can Identify Songs! Siri knows the name of the song that’s playing around you. Just ask “What song is playing?” and it will tell you the title and artist.

17. You can now tell Siri who’s who. When you say “Nikki is my sister” or “Mike is my dad” she will then save that so when you say “Text my sister” Siri knows what you mean. 

18. When you add your home and work address in your contacts, Siri can tell when you’re at each location. You can then set up a reminder to remind you when you leave work or arrive home and Siri will. For example, “When I get to work tomorrow remind me to email John Thompson.” This is perfect for Realtors who are always on the go. 
  
19. Be on time. Wouldn’t it be nice to know when exactly you should leave for a closing with the traffic? With the new iPhone you can do just that. Enter and select the address in the location field when you create an event, then choose travel Time to be alerted at just the right time to depart by car or foot. 

20. You can now email photos and videos! When you’re composing an email, touch and hold the message to open the options menu. Tap the arrow and select “insert photo or video.” Then choose the photo or video to attach from your camera roll, albums, or shared albums. This would be perfect if you happen to drive by a home for sale you think your buyer may be interested in! Take a picture and send it off! 

21. Get to your favorite people fast! Double press the home button and see your favorite people and the most recently contacted people. Just tap once to call, text, or start a FaceTime.  

22. Have your iPhone read back to you. Go to Settings General Accessibility Speech and turn on Speak Screen. Then go to an app and swipe down from the top with two fingers or tell Siri to “Speak screen.” All the content of the page will be read back to you. 

23. Limit access to a single app. Guided Access lets you temporarily limit your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a single app and control which app features are available. You can even set time limits on each app. This is great for children. You’ll find Guided Access in Settings General Accessibility along with instructions on how to use it. 



24. Smart Albums automatically collect your panorama, burst, and hidden photos as well as slo-mo, time-lapse, and HD videos. The Recently Deleted album stores deleted photos for 30 days in case you change your mind.



25. Broadcast live with AirPlay. When connected to a Wi-Fi network, you can use AirPlay Mirroring to share exactly what’s on your iPhone with your HDTV connected to an Apple TV. Just access Control Center by swiping up, tap AirPlay, and select your TV.

As you can see Apple has made some major technological advances with their phones over the years. If you need help with setting up or understanding the phone better with your Real Estate business please do not be afraid to contact me. I can’t wait to see what they come out with next!