The FedEx Guide for REALTORS® | Guest Post
FedEx offers a host of marketing and shipping solutions for REALTORS® looking to grow their business. As one of the many perks of NAR’s REALTOR Benefits® Program, REALTORS® can enroll in the FedEx Advantage® program and save on the services real estate agents use most, including printing, binding, indoor and outdoor signs, vehicle and promotional magnets, and of course, shipping across the country. Not to mention REALTORS® earn 25% more FedEx Rewards points than the average customer.
The FedEx Guide for REALTORS®
FedEx is proud to team up with NAR to help REALTORS® with their printing, copying, marketing and shipping needs. With more than 1,800 FedEx Office locations in the U.S., members enrolled in the program can stop by any physical location or print and copy online with FedEx Office® Print Online at any time. Here are some of the ways REALTORS® can take advantage of the FedEx program: Continue reading »
If you want to stay on top of the real estate profession it’s important to consistently evaluate your actions and to remain nimble in the face of changing technology. REALTORS®, like any profession, can get stuck in a rut, or in a repeatable course of action that works but might not be the best for growing and moving forward. Sometimes even the best plans need a bit of tweaking. For those in need of a real estate makeover, we’ve collected some of our best posts for evaluating your career and expanding your professional skill set —
Take a Break and Look Inward
Allow yourself time to step away from work. Take a vacation and assess what, if anything, is keeping you from moving forward. Is it an issue of motivation or training? Does working with difficult clients have you down? If work itself has become overbearing or tedious, check out these three blog posts: Continue reading »
Congratulations. If you’re thinking of taking your real estate business to the next level or opening a brokerage, it likely means your years of hard work are paying off. If it’s time to grow your business there are many important considerations to make when it comes to ramping up manpower, adding certifications and developing business plans.
Are you considering starting a brokerage? Has an increase in sales made it necessary for you to hire an assistant? Do you have all your necessary certifications in order? If opening your own brokerage is the next logical step in your professional development, it’s important to consult with accountants and business professionals who can advise you on developing a plan to ensure that you’re on solid financial ground.
According to a 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Member Profile, 41% of REALTORS® are affiliated with an independent, non-franchised company. Among the decisions you’ll need to make is whether to buy a franchise or to go independent. REALTOR® Magazine’s 11 Tips for Starting Your Own Business offers great advice on everything from developing a business plan to recruiting other real estate professionals to join you. Continue reading »
Making the transition from selling residential properties to selling commercial real estate can be an exciting move for any REALTOR®. But as with any professional move, the transition to commercial real estate presents unique challenges. If you plan ahead, do your market research, and apprise yourself of the latest trends, you’ll be able to break into the market and hit the ground running. To help ease the transition, here are 7 Tips for Selling Commercial Real Estate.
1. Talk to other commercial real estate agents. Ask if they have any tips for making the transition, or if they have particular expertise in your local market. You might even ask if they’ll help you gain experience by co-listing a property to start, allowing you to shadow them through the process. Continue reading »
Are you a REALTOR® looking to jumpstart your struggling or stagnant real estate blog? Maybe you haven’t been paying it as much attention lately, or maybe your traffic has been dwindling. Maybe you’ve just plateaued and started to lose interest. If you want to get back in the game and breathe new life into your blog, here are 6 Tips for Jumpstarting your Real Estate Blog.
1. Create a Content Calendar and Stick to it
Just like setting up showing dates and times or planning out any marketing activity, REALTORS® should set up a publishing schedule, whether that’s once a week, twice a week, or daily. The more your audience can count on consistent content the more likely they will be to keep coming back. Continue reading »
Just because social media doesn’t cost anything, it doesn’t mean it’s free. Making time to use social media channels and sorting through all the content available online can tax even the most experienced social media marketer. A recent study by eMarketer revealed that 73% of marketers say that finding time to create content is one of their biggest challenges. Despite your best efforts, you won’t be able to use each and every social media platform without a team of assistants, nor read everything that’s written about marketing, real estate and social media.
That itch in your brain — the one that makes you constantly log-on to Facebook or reach for your phone at all hours — that could be social media guilt. Social media guilt is the feeling that you should be producing more, reading more and doing it all more often on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Just look at the graph on the right. That’s the social media landscape right now. Expecting REALTORS® to master even a handful of these social media channels isn’t fair.
Here are a few Tips for Managing Social Media Guilt and dealing with that little itch that can keep you up at night. Continue reading »
Real estate is a difficult field to master, requiring a great deal of education, the ability to multitask and tips and tricks that take a career to learn and apply. For new REALTORS® it can all be incredibly overwhelming. Fear not. Here’s a list of 10 Tips for New REALTORS® that can help everyone from the agent at their first day on the job to the 10-year veteran looking to help the new kids on the block find their way.
1. Find the Right Real Estate Company
Your first real estate company is usually the most formative in a REALTOR®’s career. Look for a broker who runs an organized, client-focused office with high ethical standards and processes in place for training. Does the company advocate technology? Do they have a strong presence in the local media? Do they market the company and the team well? Continue reading »
REALTORS® spend a lot of time working on their craft, but no one is perfect. It’s hard to be the master of every discipline and sometimes REALTORS® make real estate marketing mistakes that could be avoided with a little more time, planning and education. We’ve compiled a list of eight marketing mistakes REALTORS® should avoid along with suggestions on how to right the ship if you’re an offender.
1. Your Marketing Plan is Done. Now You’re Done.
Your marketing plan is just the first step towards your goals. It should be on a white board, not etched in stone. Your plan should be reviewed and revised often – it’s an organic plan that should alter as you learn more about how your strategy and tactics are getting results. Continue reading »
With more than 150 million users in more than 200 countries, LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media platforms, specifically with B2B and B2C brands and professionals. LinkedIn more than just an online resume – it can be a huge contributor to a REALTOR®’s lead generation efforts as well as taking your networking to the next level.
A recent study of over 5,000 businesses found that traffic from LinkedIn generated more visitor-to-lead conversions than Facebook or Twitter. Since more than 90% of home buyers use the internet as an information source and many of them use LinkedIn in their professional lives, building a strong presence on the social network could pay big dividends.
Create Your Profile
Create a complete profile on LinkedIn that provides all pertinent information about your background, expertise, specialties and awards. Continue reading »
Homebuyers and sellers have their pick of eager agents to assist them with their real estate needs. We wanted to make sure that you stand out from the pack and demonstrate to your potential clients the advantages of working with a REALTOR®. We’ve compiled a list of 7 tools that you can add to your marketing repertoire.
1. Establish a Competitive Advantage with Education from REALTOR® University
Consider investing in a Designation or Certification Course offered by the National Association of REALTORS® which offer you specific skills that will help you offer unique services to your buyers and sellers. You can also take your training to the next level by applying to REALTOR® University’s graduate school where you can pursue a Master of Real Estate Degree in a variety of concentrations ranging from Real Estate Sales, Marketing and Management to Real Estate Appraisal.
2. Get Handy with Apps
REALTORS® have a number of useful apps at their disposal to help you work on the go and stay productive. NAR offers apps to help with business and your membership, while you can also download free apps on iTunes to help with marketing, managing client relationships and even helping with calculating interest rates and annual property taxes.
