Marketing By Fax??? Naaaah

No, I'm not an advocate of Fax Marketing. However, I'm in the early stages of redesigning my website and have been digesting a lot of different ideas for marketing. One of my favorite marketing guys is named Seth Godin, who I learned about when my wife gave me his book "Free Prize Inside" for Christmas.

From what I can tell, Seth's philosophy comes down to two major points:
1. Make your service remarkable. (Remarkable means that your customers are amazed by it and have to tell others.)
2. Don't shout your message. Seth leans away from traditional marketing like advertisements that clamour for your attention, but instead suggests 'permission marketing', where you build a relationship with your customer over time and earn their trust.

I really like his ideas. I've never felt like a 'salesman' type that could persuade people to work with me. I'd much rather provide remarkable service and build relationships. It's more fun to work with people I know, anyway!

Anyway, I picked up Seth's book eMarketing from way back in 1995 where he devotes an entire chapter to Fax Marketing. It may have been the latest idea then, but I'm not sure it would be as effective now! That is, if it was ever that effective... :)
-Peter

www.nashvillecityhomes.com

Listings Now Online Everywhere With KWLS.

When 'house fever' hits, buyers are turning to the Internet.

But where to search?? There are many options with each website offering a new slant on the home search. My personal favorite is the Interactive Map Search, which is why I had to have it for my own website.

When you're selling your home, how do you make sure that your home is listed on as many websites as possible? Just being on Realtor.com isn't enough anymore.

My firm, Keller Williams, is a market leader in this kind of technology and we've just started a new service called the KWLS (Keller Williams Listing Service) to give even more exposure to all our listings. Once I've entered the listing it is broadcasted to all the websites listed below and more! Incredible.

Realtor.com
Homescape
Yahoo
Yuvie
Point2Homes
Google
Trulia
Cyberhomes
Geebo
Vast.com
KW.com

My own marketing includes exposure on:
HomeSeekers
HomePages
NashvilleCityHomes.com
CraigsList
Backpage
VisualTour


I'm honored to be part of company that is leading the way in new technologies. You won't find this type of exposure with many of the other firms out there. Of course great Internet exposure is just a piece of the puzzle. If you're interested in the many ways that I'll market your home, please give me a call.

-Peter

REALTOR. City Home Specialist.
www.NashvilleCityHomes.com

Wireless Hotspots in Nashville

Ever wonder where all the wireless hotspots in Nashville are? I came across this neat website today with a map showing where to go. It does seem to be missing a few, but still might be a great tool for you if you're looking for a new place to check email and get out of the house!

I guess I'm going to have to start having business meetings at Krystal.... (just kidding)

-Peter

P.S. My son, who is not yet 3 years old, is currently surfing the Sesame Street website looking for Big Bird. Unbelieveable!

www.NashvilleCityHomes.com
REALTOR. City Home Specialist

Internet Trailblazing?

The Internet has changed how everyone does business and this is especially true in the real estate world. A recent report shows that home buyers are using the Internet to search for homes, but the majority of real estate agents don't have websites or advertise on the Internet. Here's an excerpt:

In the latest National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, based on a survey of 7,500 home buyers and sellers, 80 percent of home buyers used the Internet in searching for a home, up from 77 percent in the 2005 survey and 74 percent in 2004.

Meanwhile, a 2006 survey by media research firm Borrell Associates Inc. found that 61 percent of real estate agents do not advertise on the Internet and 87 percent of agents do not buy keyword advertising from the Google or Yahoo search-engine companies. (from Inman News)

I've tried to take full advantage of the Internet in every way that I can and I guess that makes me a trailblazer of some kind. It just makes sense to me. I know that home buyers and sellers are using the Internet and as my clients, they expect me to use it as well.

Here are some of the Internet tools that I provide as a service to my clients...

• INTERACTIVE MAP SEARCH- An innovative way to search for homes using a map. This is the absolute best search method I've found that is available. It's very user friendly with numerous ways to search and features like SearchSaver and Favorites.
• VIRTUAL TOURS- When selling your home I can easily create a virtual tour highlighting the selling points and exposing your home to Internet users anywhere.
• HOME VALUE REPORT- If you're thinking about selling your home, just enter some simple info into this form and I'll send you an estimate of what your home is worth based on recent sales of comparable homes in your area. It's FREE and no obligation.
• WEBSITE- The hub for all these tools as well as general information on buying & selling homes.
• BLOG & CITY NEWS- I try to offer all kinds of real estate news and information through both this blog and my website.
• NEIGHBORHOOD LINKS- This ever-expanding part of my website will contain useful information about local Nashville neighborhoods with links to neighborhood associations, restaurants and other points of interest.
• ONLINE MLS REPORTS & MORE- When buying a home, I can email you reports for various homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Paper is optional these days as I can also send all sorts of documents from tax records to comparative market analysis via email and web links. My goal is to empower you as the buyer to make well-informed decisions.
• ONLINE MARKETING- Internet buyers want to see lots of pictures and details about homes that are for sale. I post all my listings to Craig's List and other similar online 'classified' advertising to get more exposure. This generates a lot of traffic to my virtual tours, especially with buyers who are out of town and considering a move to Nashville. I also do keyword advertising on search engines to invite more people to try these tools and see what makes me different.

As the Internet continues to grow and change so will the many tools and information sources available to you. Please give some of these a try and let me know what you think.

-Peter

www.NashvilleCityHomes.com
REALTOR. City Home Specialist.