Social media

How To Market, Sell, and Recruit in “The New Normal”

Raj Qsar and Rachel Holder join Chris Smith & Jimmy Mackin on their latest #WaterCooler roundtable discussion, as they discuss the specific tactics and strategies they are using to navigate “the new normal.”

The best agents are focusing on how to market, sell, and recruit during these unprecedented times. Find out exactly what they are doing day in and day out to stay productive and keep their teams motivated.

Strategies from the Best Creators of Real Estate Listing Videos

Raj Qsar

The Boutique Real Estate Group | Brea, CA

When you watch Raj’s videos, you feel like you’re watching a mini film.  He includes actors and uses a professional video crew.  The goal of each film is not to show you every single little detail of the home, but to help you feel attached to the home by telling a story.  By the end of each listing video, you want to live the life of the actors in the video.  They’re luxurious and they’re adventurous.  EACH VIDEO GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHAT LIFE COULD BE LIKE IN THE HOME.  This sets Raj apart.

 

2018’s Best Real Estate Slogans & Taglines

When it comes to personal or team branding, a great real estate slogan can help set you apart from the crowd. Sure, your logo was designed by a pro, your website looks amazing, and you toiled over your latest business card. Can you sum up your real estate value in 4 words or less?

The amazingly talented agents, teams, and brokerages on this list have…

That’s why we chose them as having the best real estate slogans and taglines for 2018.

 

The Boutique Real Estate

1.“Our Passion is People, What’s Yours?”

The Boutique Real Estate Group

Another Los Angeles startup, Raj Qsar’s the Boutique has competitors that might make lesser brokers run for the hills. (Just not the Beverly Hills).

In order to help his brokerage stand out, Raj focused on branding that is friendly, and accessible, but still ticks all the boxes that well heeled homeowner’s and buyers need from their agents.

Their slogan manages to convey their dedication to service, but also highlights their focus on relationships rather than deals. An attractive proposition for people who may be less than excited to work with your typical stuffy luxury brokerage.

 

Town and Country Real Estate The Hamptons

2. “The Power of Deep Roots”

Town and Country Real Estate The Hamptons

Let’s face it. Local knowledge is important to be successful in any region of the country, but in places like New York’s Hamptons, it’s absolutely crucial.

That’s why with 65 years of combined East End real estate experience, Town and Country Real Estate Hamptons highlighted their local roots in their tagline. It just works.

On other hand, as deep as the upper crust roots of the Hamptons go, it’s still ostensibly a relaxed beach town. Albeit one with a Gucci store… That means a softer edge than the hard charging Manhattan real estate cliche makes perfect sense here.

That’s why I love T&C’s other tagline: ‘The Hamptons Are Our Boardroom”. It manages to bring together business acumen and the laid back vibe a beach town offers vacationers.

Halstead

3. “Move to What Moves You”

Halstead
Along with their new (and amazing) rebranding, Halstead has some creative and effective real estate slogans. From the ‘Our Agent of Change Will Move You” tagline in our featured image to ‘Move What Moves You” it’s abundantly clear that Halstead too the time, energy, and money to build a brand that will last as long as Halstead has.

With their new branding, Halstead is walking the same fine line between timeless luxury and up-to-the-second instagram worthy cool that characterizes so many great brands today.

Halton Pardee+ Partners

4. ‘We Are Life Changers”

Halton Pardee+ Partners

Having risen from a humble background to become the number one sales team in Los Angeles, and number two team in California, Halton Pardee founder Tami Pardee knows a thing or two about changing lives.

That’s why I love that they’re using this tagline for their branding efforts online. What better way to help change someone’s life then counsel them on getting a great new place to live?

New Story

5. “A home changes everything”

New Story 
Founded by Y Combinator Alum Brett Hagler, New Story builds homes for those in need around the globe. Amazingly, New Story promises that every penny of your donation will be used to build homes.

With support from Docusign, Sotheby’s International, and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, New Story has enough real estate bonafides to go along with their slogan to make this list.

Since you all witness the joy that a new home brings you clients, imagine how much joy a new home might bring to someone without adequate shelter…

Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

6. “Expect Better”

Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

Sadly when it comes to real estate the bar for customer service quality is set very low. In many cities, the number of mediocre or even dishonest agents and brokerages sometimes outnumbers the good ones.

“Expect Better” speaks to that issue, and even adds an aspirational element for people who had just okay experiences with other brokerages. What if your real estate experience could have been ever better?

Dolly lenz

7.“Client Focused. Results Driven.™”

Dolly lenz 
In the world of New York City real estate, Dolly lenz stands alone. Sure, there are a ton of “million dollar” brokers strutting down Park Avenue staring at their iphones, but Dolly Lenz has been doing it longer and better than all of them.

As you might imagine, here real estate slogan is about as good as they get. She manages to convey both her team’s dedication to clients, as well as their passion for closing. No easy feat, especially in 4 short words.

Ben Cabellero homesusa.com

8.“Realtor Marketing for Homebuilders Made Easy”

Ben Cabellero homesusa.com

When your market is multi billion home builders like Toll Brothers, your taglines need to spell out what benefits you’re providing them. In Ben’s case, he boiled it down to what every single corporate bigwig wants more than anything else: simplicity.

Massive companies are almost always bogged down by complexity, so coming right out and offering them an incredibly valuable service, that’s easy is an offer almost too good to resist.

This might be part of the reason Ben Cabellero was recently named the Realtor to be added to the Guinness book of world records for most homes sold in one year; and astonishing 3,556 homes closed last year!

 

View Original Article Here

Top 30 Real Estate Brokerages On Social Media in 2018

Top 30 Real Estate Brokerages On Social Media in 2018
 Via propertyspark.com

These real estate brokerages are reaching thousands of people by using the power of social media.

Before, going into the list, we would like to say that these real estate brokerages do not have to be our clients, subscribers or followers.

Furthermore, we did not solicit any real estate brokerages before the research or writing of the lists.

Here’s how the Real Estate Brokerages are selected:

Initial Research on Real Estate Brokerages

We looked at hundreds of popular Real Estate Brokerages across North America. We found these real estate brokerages through different mediums including:

• Google
• Bing
• Facebook Search
• Instagram Search
• Twitter Search

Inclusions and Ranking (Objective Data)

Once we had our list of popular real estate brokerages. We looked at objective data regarding the real estate brokerages’ social media presence, including the following:

Followers:
• Facebook Page Likes
• Instagram Followers
• Twitter Followers

Engagement:
• Facebook Post likes, comments, shares and views (for videos)
• Instagram Post likes and comments
• Twitter favorites and retweets

Inclusions and Ranking (Subjective Data)

Finally, we make sure that all the real estate brokerages who made the final 30 have a great social media presence based on subjective variables, including the following:

• Brand image (quality of graphic design, pictures, videos)
• Value of content (how useful the content is to followers)
• Content mix (the mix of different types of posts)

With that being said, let’s get into the top list! Enjoy!

#30: SelectRE Boston – Real Estate Brokerage Firm

Do you want a brokerage that’s a 100% honest with you, who knows the ins and outs of the Boston real estate, and someone who instantly responds back to your inquiries? Well, look no further and say hello to SelectRE Boston. One thing we admire about them is their Facebook page. They update it each day with articles or new listings. If you like what you see, don’t be hesitant to contact them!

#29: The Keyes Company

The Keyes Company is a real estate company that possesses a sea of information based on real estate. They believe that their business is more than just about real estate and treat all of their clients like their family. Their goal is to meet all of their clients’ real estate wants and needs and to make sure to do just that for each one of them! Check out their social media pages and you won’t regret it!

#28: Hatch Realty

Hatch Realty is a real estate brokerage you should check out, especially if you live in North Dakota. For the people who have used Hatch Realty’s services, they have been nothing less than pleased, and this shows on their Facebook page, which has 146 5-star ratings out of 149 total reviews. Check out Hatch Realty on all of their social media accounts now!

#27: Nexus Realty International

Providing quality representation in residential and commercial real estate, Nexus Realty International is known for their great customer service team and sales team all over the globe. They actively update their pages with new posts/content. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your dream home with them.

#26: Gad Realty NYC – A New York Real Estate Brokerage

Gad Realty NYC is not only a top real estate brokerage but a unique brokerage as well. Gad Realty operates in New York City and is multilingual with its agents being fluent in Chinese, English, French, Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish. They also offer career advice and tips, along with blogs on their website and decor services for apartments. Check out Gad Realty NYC!

#25: Cityscape

From Toronto, Ontario in Canada, Cityscape is a top brokerage on social media. Cityscape has over 50 years of experience in the business and you should check out their social media for promos, blogs and other resources which can also be accessed from their mobile app.

#24: Pacific Union Real Estate

Pacific Union Real Estate is an established brokerage that believes in providing their clients with international reach. They have over 1,700 real estate agents service clients everywhere. If you want to see some aesthetically pleasing photos of homes, check out their social media pages!

#23: Howard Hanna New York

Being around since 1957, Howard Hanna New York has grown exponentially even being listed as one of the largest real estate brokerages back in 2015. Being an established real estate firm for almost 60 years, they have been able to quickly grasp how to market effectively using social media. They’ve accumulated a total following of over 180,00 people on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Judging by this, they aren’t newbies to social media.

#22: City Living Detroit

Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home, City Living Detroit has the experience and expertise to handle all of your real estate wants and needs. Their mission is to utilize the skills and knowledge possessed by their team of real estate professionals to the best of their ability and to assist other in the process. They are a great team to work with and you can see this on their social media pages!

#21: EWM Realty International

EWM Realty International was founded in 1964 and has been selling some of Florida’s most gorgeous real estate properties. Their team consists of true professionals who understand the real estate trends in Florida like no other. Professionalism, excellence and integrity are just some of the amazing qualities which they are recognized for, as well as their social media presence!

#20: Royal LePage Canada

Royal LePage Canada is one of, if not Canada’s most popular real estate brokerage with an organization of over 17,000 real estate agents. They have a very resourceful website that contains real estate news, reports, surveys and more to keep you updated with real estate business in Canada. Check out Royal LePage on social media if you’re interested in purchasing or selling a home in Canada.

#19: ERA Real Estate

Go check out ERA Real Estate’s Facebook! They update us with constant content about everything from videos, blogs, photos and more. You will surely be inspired to purchase in New Jersey after visiting their social media pages.

#18: Beycome

Beycome is a real estate company in Miami, Florida. They make it possible to list homes on the same sites real estate agents use, even if you are selling privately. They are great at updating their followers about their improvements and accomplishments frequently on social media. They really expand your outreach when selling your own home.

#17: The Canadian Real Estate Association

Although not a brokerage but an association, The Canadian Real Estate Association represents more than 100,000 real estate agents across Canada. CREA is an important organization that connects real estate agents from coast to coast and connects agents with clients from all across the country. They are leaders in the social media world as they have over 47,000 followers in total. This is the way to go!

#16: Cushman & Wakefield

The Cushman & Wakefield team is a team of dedicated and passionate real estate agents that strive to create a positive impact in their clients’ lives by providing them with an amazing and unforgettable real estate experience. They aim to be a responsible partner to their clients. Their experience, devotion and love for their career makes them an awesome candidate for when you’re looking to purchase real estate.

#15: Houlihan Lawrence

With gorgeous photos of residential properties, Houlihan Lawrence’s social media accounts should definitely be on your following list. We are sure once you start following them, you won’t be able to get your eyes off the beautiful home interior photos they have on their Facebook feed!

#14: BOND New York Real Estate

BOND New York Real Estate is one of the largest real estate companies in New York. Their Facebook feed consists of intriguing real estate related blogs and Instagram feed offers absolutely beautiful pictures of homes and condos in New York. They’re social media pages are definitely pages you don’t want to miss out on. So, what are you waiting for?

#13: La Rosa Realty

With nearly 100,000 followers on social media and being one of the top 75 Residential Real Estate firms in the United States, La Rosa Realty must be doing something right! Their social media pages are all about highlighting their agents, giving you an inside look at what happens in the company and inspirational posts, which are guaranteed to get you inspired.

#12: HUD Homes USA

With thousands of followers on social media, you know HUD Homes USA are social media experts. Based in the gorgeous Agoura Hills, California, their feed is quite patriotic to say the least!

#11: William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance

What’s unique about William Raveis is their detailed property listings that include all the information you would need about a property. Their listings are not only detailed, but also absolutely breathtaking. That’s why their social media pages should certainly be checked out.

#10: Cervera Real Estate

Cervera Real Estate is a Florida based family owned and operated real estate company. Their real estate agents are professional, knowledgeable and hard working! They are known for selling some of the most stunning real estate in South Florida and have also managed to sell over 50,000 units. If that’s not amazing then we don’t know what is! Check their social media pages out!

#9: The Boutique Real Estate Group

The Boutique Real Estate Group have thousands of followers on social media, and their feed is filled with ethereal and unreal photos of properties in California. They promise to give the best service to all of their clients and have won a number of awards as real estate influencers, and we totally admire that!

#8: RE/MAX

With over 276,000 followers, RE/MAX is an extremely popular real estate brokerage and if you haven’t already visited their social media pages, you’re missing out. RE/MAX operates worldwide and has been one of the top brokerages in the US and Canada since 1999 and also serves internationally. Check out RE/MAX’s website for more information!

#7: Keller Williams Realty

Keller Williams Realty is a popular and well known real estate real estate company that works towards providing clients with easy and stress free real estate experiences. The company began in 1983, so they definitely know what they’re doing when it comes to real estate. They also have a popular social media page which is followed by over 100,000 followers!

#6: Coldwell Banker Real Estate

The legendary brokerage Coldwell Banker is over 100 years old and is one of the top brokerages with over 385,000 followers on social media. Coldwell Banker’s services have been excellent and several top real estate agents from our previous blogs have in fact been a part of this brokerage. Coldwell Banker also has well designed websites for their main page, and their luxury real estate page which you should check out for listings and glamorous properties.

#5: Magnolia Realty

Magnolia Realty delivers stunning professional photos, directing you to dream like properties. These homes in Waco, Texas are jaw-dropping, from massive pools to lavish kitchens. Take a look at what Magnolia Realty has to offer today!

#4: The Agency

The Agency is a full-service, luxury real estate brokerage company that represents clients worldwide. They are both well known and well liked by many. Their mission is to revamp and advance the experience of buying and selling real estate through collaboration, innovation, and integrity. Their team is professional and hardworking which is why they are so great at what they do!

#3: Douglas Elliman

Douglas Elliman is the fourth largest real estate company in the United States. This company has a huge following on their Instagram and Facebook pages with posts of stunning property listings, blogs and company accomplishments. Their social media pages are definitely worth checking out!

#2: Redfin

Whether you’re buying or selling a house, Redfin is the smart way to go. They incorporate great features for users buying a house, making the buyer’s life easy with listings being update every 10 minutes. If you prefer a one on one experience with a real estate agent, that’s possible too. Having an enormous following on social media, you can definitely say they are the experts you’ve been looking for!

#1: Century 21

Century 21 is a global real estate company that owns approximately 7,100 franchised broker offices worldwide. They’re actively working to improve and increase their presence in the market to make themselves prominent worldwide. The company is dedicated to provide clients with the highest quality services and always make sure to satisfy. They have over 560,000 followers on social media, which crowns them the #1 spot as the top brokerage on social media!


We hope you enjoyed our list of the Top 30 Real Estate Brokerages On Social Media in 2018!

Giveback Homes Welcomes 2018 Advocates — Raj Qsar

Owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group honored for his commitment to safe housing for all

Manhattan Beach, C.A., April 24, 2018 — The housing crisis is a growing issue, not just for the United States but for the world. Giveback Homes, real estate’s social good movement, today names Raj Qsar, Principal and Owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group in Orange County, California, as a 2018 Advocate for Social Good. This distinction is given to prominent individuals within the real estate community who have demonstrated their commitment to giving back and pursuing the goal of safe and secure housing for all, and are eager to do more.

“We started Giveback Homes because we saw the opportunity to bring a focus on social good to real estate,” said Blake Andrews, founder of Giveback Homes. “Through the years, we’ve found a tribe of real estate professionals who are going above and beyond in their communities and the world and the Giveback Homes Advocate program will aim to mobilize them even more. They will also help shape the future of Giveback Homes.”

The Advocate program is a select group of Giveback Homes members who each had to apply by describing what the future of Giveback Homes looked like to them. Some of their answers included, educational seminars about home ownership, meeting with Congress, referral programs, and partnering with more non-profits. The Advocates are dedicated to amplifying Giveback Homes initiatives, promoting new membership opportunities, and leading initiatives in their community.  The Advocates will meet once a quarter to strategize on social good projects and mobilize other industry professionals through their engagement.

As the Principal and Owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group, Raj Qsar is known for his marketing innovation, use of technology and commitment to excellence in all aspects of the real estate experience. In 2017 Raj & The Boutique were awarded The Real Estate Influencer of The Year by Inman News, Most Innovative Brokerage, REAL Trends Finalist for Best Overall Website and the #1 Real Estate Video Influencer Award. As a national and international speaker, Raj travels the world and has taken the stage at some of the most prestigious real estate conferences. He has participated in multiple build days and fundraising events for Giveback Homes. “My team and I just love Giveback Homes,” added Raj. “They’ve helped us give back both locally and globally and I look forward to helping them continue on their mission as a social good movement in real estate.”

“Raj and The Boutique Real Estate Group are a very special group of people,” said Caroline Pinal, co-founder of Giveback Homes. “Raj is systematic when it comes to sharing the Giveback Homes story with his agents, clients, and other brokerages. We are so excited to name him as one of our Advocates. ”

Giveback Homes mobilizes the real estate industry to provide safe homes and clean water to families in need. Giveback Homes has provided safe and secure homes for over 200 families in Nicaragua, 50 affordable housing projects in the U.S., and water filters to give over 5,000 people access to clean drinking water. The company has mobilized funds for times of crisis in the wake of hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. Through volunteer experiences, fundraising events, and impact reporting, Giveback Homes empowers the real estate community to take an active role in making the world a better place. To learn more, please visit GivebackHomes.com.

About Giveback Homes

Giveback Homes is dedicated to creating a sustainable relationship between real estate professionals, their clients, and communities in need throughout the world. Their goal is to create social change through the act of buying or selling a home. Through fundraising events, build days, and international trips they are dedicated to inspiring the real estate industry to take action for social good. Together with their giving partners, Giveback Homes has funded and built over 200 homes for families in need in Nicaragua. To learn more about Giveback Homes and join the movement for social good, please visit www.givebackhomes.com.

7 Web Design Tricks for Realtors to Get More Leads in 2018

by  | Feb 6, 2018

Via The Close

If you’ve had your website up and running for more than a few months, you’ve probably noticed something curious. You’re getting some traffic, but almost none of that traffic converts into actual leads…

What gives?

Well, to some extent this is the nature of online marketing; only a small fraction of the people who visit your site will convert. C’est la vie right?

Wrong. In 2018 there is an entire industry dedicated to using design and functionality to increase the number of conversions on your site. It’s called Conversion Rate Optimization. Or CRO for short. CRO uses data and analytics to determine design, copy, and layout changes.

Today we’re going to look at 7 clever ways to apply CRO oriented design to your personal website, landing pages, or single property sites.

1. Leverage Hick’s Law to Encourage Your Visitors to Engage

Named for British Psychologist William Edmund Hick, this law states that the more choices a consumer has, the longer it will take them to make a decision.

In a study on decision making in supermarkets, Hick set up two sample displays of jam. One had 24 flavors, and the other had only six flavors of jam.

The results showed that 60% of people stopped and sampled jam from the table with 24 flavors. However, only 6% ended up purchasing a jar of jam.

Meanwhile, only 40% of people stopped to sample jam from the table with six flavors, but an astonishing 30% ended up purchasing jam.

Applying Hick’s Law to Your Site Design

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via Hotjar

The takeaway here should be obvious. By narrowing the number of choices your visitors have, you can dramatically increase your conversion rate.

In order to do this effectively, you need to take the time to figure out exactly what it is you want your visitors to do on each page of your site. For a landing page this might be obvious. You want them to fill out a form and give you their contact info.

For other pages on your site, the answer might not be so obvious. For example, what is the main thing you want visitors to do on your homepage? Do you want them to read the latest from your blog? Check out your brand new listings? Schedule a listing appointment?

In order to get you thinking about this, it makes sense to check out the sites of some top producing Realtors for inspiration. To get you started, here is the main page for Los Angeles luxury brokers Williams & Williams:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks
Okay, I know. This is an extreme example from a team that has dozens of jaw dropping eight figure listings in Beverly Hills… Of course they’re going to encourage people to look at their listings first!

Let’s look at a site on the opposite end of the spectrum that still uses Hick’s Law. Check out the homepage for Placester’s free NAR websites:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks
The main choices here seem to be home search, and testimonials. Since these sites are all about generating buyer leads, this makes perfect sense.

For landing pages or home value sites, Hick’s Law is even clearer. In most cases you don’t even have the option to do anything besides enter your address and contact info.

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks
To learn more about applying Hick’s Law to your website design, check out Usabilla’s excellent write up here.

2. Use Heatmaps to Find Out What Your Visitors Really Want

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks
One of the trickiest things to do when designing your website or landing page is figuring out where your visitors are looking for information. Even if your layout and navigation seems obvious to you, it may not be obvious to all your visitors.

Luckily, there is a clever solution to this problem. Using heatmap software, you can track exactly where your site visitors are clicking and navigating. Here’s how it works:

Sign up for a service like Crazy Egg or Hotjar and add pages from your site that you want to track. After a month or so, the software will create a heatmap showing an average of where all users navigated and clicked.

How Heatmap Software works: Heatmaps

Areas where users click or navigate to often are represented in red, while areas they click or navigate less are in yellow, green, and finally blue.

Using this data, you can tweak your layout, copy, and site colors to both improve efficient navigation, and subtly encourage your visitors to take a specific action. Depending on what you’ve decided that action is, this can mean signing up for an email list, entering their address, or browsing properties.

Here are a few common mistakes that heatmap software might uncover, and how you can fix them:

Problem 
Your visitors are clicking on images or text that are not linked to anything

Solution 
Consider moving your navigation, or CTA to the area they are clicking, or link the images or text in that area to a landing page or other relevant page on your site.

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks
Image via Hotjar

Problem 
Visitors are navigating and clicking on too many areas of your page and ignoring what you want them to focus on

Solution 
Keep Hick’s Law in mind and simplify your page’s layout to encourage them to click where you want them to

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks
Image via Hotjar

How Heatmap Software Works: Scroll Depth

Another useful metric that heatmap software can measure for you is scroll depth. This is the average “depth” a visitor scrolls down your page.

The same color codes used with heatmaps are used for scroll depth. Red areas are where the majority of users scroll down to. Going from red to orange, to yellow, and finally to blue where almost no visitor scrolls to.

Here’s what a scroll depth chart looks like using Hotjar:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

As you can see, the percentage of site visitors who scroll down past “the fold” (the area of your website that is visible without scrolling) goes down dramatically toward the bottom of your site.

Scroll depth heatmaps can be a sobering wake up call for just how much of your website is never seen by your visitors. For example, on many pages, less than 10%(!!) of site visitors scroll down to the bottom of the page.

How to Use Scroll Depth data to Increase Conversions

The most common use for scroll depth data is for your blog posts. For example, if you have a post that’s more than say, 1,000 words, and less than 10% of your audience is getting to the end of the article, you need to make tweaks to get more people to finish the article.

Since longer articles do far better in search results than shorter articles, cutting down the length of your blog posts is not an ideal solution. Instead, break up the content of the article with images, graphs, and subheadings so people can skim the article.

People are busy and attention spans short. Letting your visitors skim an article and only read the subheading relevant to them will increase conversions.

3. Learn the “F” Pattern: Take Advantage of How People Scan Web Pages

According to eye tracking research by Nielsen Norman Group, people scan web pages and phone screens in an ‘F” pattern; they start at the top left then scan right, then down, then to the right again, then to the bottom of the article.

It ends up looking something like this on a heatmap:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via Instapage

While the “F” pattern is not the only way people scan article or webpages, it is the most common.

Here’s what a real estate homepage that utilizes the “F” pattern in its layout:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Screenshot: thebotiquere.com

Here’s another:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Screenshot: pearsonsmithrealty.com

…and another:

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via: labs.hawaiilife.com

Here’s how you can take advantage of the “F” pattern on a blog post. Note where they’re placing the “Watch Live” button.

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Screenshot via: inman.com

4. Make Sure Buttons and Text Boxes Are Easy to Use on Mobile

Is your website mobile friendly? If it’s not, there is a 100% chance you’re losing potential leads. According NAR’s 2017 Real Estate in a Digital Age Report 72% of home buyers used a mobile or tablet website or app in their home search. That’s a lot of lost leads…

Besides making sure the WordPress theme you’re using is responsive (aka works well on desktop and mobile) you need to pay special attention to buttons and text boxes.

In 2017, that means making your text boxes and buttons large enough even for people who are all thumbs to press. If you don’t, your leads may spend a few seconds trying in vain to get in touch with you then just give up.

Here are some of the buttons and text boxes you should pay special attention to on mobile:

  • Call now buttons
  • “Submit” buttons
  • Personal information text boxes
  • Page navigation buttons
  • Drop down menus for property searches

5. Pay Special Attention to the Color, Shape, & Copy on Your CTA Buttons

Believe it or not, even the buttons you use on your CTA’s can have a huge impact on your conversion rate. Subtle changes in color, shape, and copy on your buttons can mean more leads and more closed deals.

The only problem is that the digital marketing community just can’t seem to agree on what changes exactly lead to increased conversions. That said, there are still a few rules that most marketing and CRO experts can agree on:

  1. Orange, green, and blue buttons seem to convert the highest
  2. Buttons whose color contrasts well with the background color convert well
  3. They are actual buttons, not just text links!
  4. They use specific action words in their copy- “Get My Home Value” or “Download My Free PDF” will work better than “submit” or the dreaded “click here”
  5. They’re in a strategic place on the page- Think headline, short copy, text box, button. Also keep the “F” pattern in mind, as well as data from your heatmaps.

Here are some CTA button examples from Unbounce and Instapage that follow these principles well.

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via: Instapage
7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via: Instapage
7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via: Unbounce
7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Image via: Unbounce

6. Use A/B Testing to Find the Perfect Layout, Copy, & CTA for Conversion

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

Okay, now that you’ve got some new CRO inspired design ideas for your website, the next step is to test them on you site. After all, there is no secret formula for conversion. Some changes or combinations of changes may work better or worse depending on a huge number of variables.

In order to find out which changes lead to better conversion rates, you need to use what the industry calls A/B testing (also known as Split Testing). Here’s how it works.

Whenever you make an edit to your layout, buttons, CTA’s or any copy, record your conversion rate and compare it to your previous conversion rate. In order to get a more accurate measurement, it helps to switch back and forth between changes more than once.

Once You’ve identified a change that leads to a higher conversion rate, then keep it and make another small change to the site and runt the same A/B testing. After a few iterations of this, your site should be fully optimized for conversion.

A/B Testing Landing Pages

If you’re trying to optimize your landing pages, then A/B testing is pretty easy. Most landing page software (Unbounce, Instapage etc) have built in A/B testing functionality.

The best thing about A/B testing with landing page software is that they serve up different versions of your landing page to different users. This is important to rule out factors like the day of the week or season that might affect conversion rates.

A/B Testing Other Pages on Your Website

If you’re not using landing page software like Unbounce, A/B testing your website is a little trickier. If you’re using WordPress, you can simply run one version of your page, record your conversion rate, then run the second version and compare the two.

Crazy Egg also offers an A/B testing platform, but you’ll have to shell out for their software to use it. With plans starting at $29 per month, it probably won’t break the bank, but manual A/B testing using WordPress edits is free. You just have to be careful about the time periods you test.

7. Use Live Chat Buttons for Visitors Who Want Instant Answers

7 Clever CRO Web Design Tricks

There’s a funny paradox when it comes to lead generation. Some leads want to talk to you right away, but they don’t want to call you, and they don’t want to email… Short of sending a smoke signal, what else is there?

Enter the live chat button. Live chat buttons are small buttons that sit in the corner of your website and beckon your visitors to have their questions answered instantly. Of course some visitors will just waste your time, but some won’t…

While there are a lot of options on the market, the best live chat software will ping your phone and allow you to respond to live chat via text message. This way you can answer questions and ideally get them to call you while you’re on the go.

Real Estate Live Chat Options for 2018

Luckily, if you’re considering adding live chat to your website there are a ton of options on the market. ZendeskLiveChatPure Chat, and Ready Chat are all solid options.

AI Chat Bots

Amazingly, some companies even offer programmable AI chat bots to interact with your site visitors and answer basic questions. Personally, I would avoid these solutions for now, as many of your visitors will be offended that you pawned them off on a robot…

The Bottom Line

If there’s one thing you do to your website in 2018, using CRO strategies to optimize for better lead conversion should be it. Pay attention to Hick’s Law, use heatmap software to track visitors, make sure buttons are easy to use on mobile, design them well, use live chat, and remember to A/B test your changes.

40 Real Estate Social Media Accounts You Need To Follow in 2018

March 7, 2018

“Social media has been a powerful tool for the real estate industry. Real estate social media accounts have sprouted up everywhere! Brokerages, publications, investment firms and real estate agents are all on social media.” – Property Spark

The Boutique Real Estate Group

It’s safe to say that you could follow The Boutique Real Estate Group on any of their social media accounts. But, with over 30,000 likes on their Facebook page, we saw it fit to include them in this section! However, it’s not just about likes, they also get hundreds of likes, loves and wows on every post!

 

Tech Connect NY 18: Live Problem Solving with Raj Qsar & Laurie Davis

Watch the pros work through tech roadblocks for the Inman audience
By INMAN / Feb 22

One of the many beneficial sessions at Inman Connect New York is “Tech live problem-solving” at Tech Connect, where the pros discuss audience issues and answer tech queries live onstage.

Listen in as Laurie Davis (broker/owner, BHGRE Lifestyle Property Partners) and Raj Qsar (principal/owner, The Boutique Real Estate Group) answer questions like:

  • I’m becoming overwhelmed with social media. Do I hire a social media manager? And, assuming it’s a $30,000 role, how do I keep track of it?
  • What systems are best to use when managing a team?
  • I’ve never created a listing video … where do I start?

Listen in to hear the answers to these and more.

Watch more sessions from ICNY 18 here.

Raj Qsar at Inman NYC- The Boom Real Estate Podcast

Raj Qsar at Inman NYC // It’s time for Inman—it’s Inman time! In this episode, Raj Qsar is a blinding, brilliant light from heaven. He brings all of his energy and passion for video in real estate and just CRUSHES it. You’ll be inspired—just like we were—when you hear Raj talk about how he broke into the luxury market using video; the ROI of video in his business; and how much he can bench press. For real. He can bench press a lot.” -The Boom Real Estate Podcast Episode #34.

Check out the podcast here:

 

 

 

Top 30 Real Estate Brokerages On Social Media

via Property Spark

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These real estate brokerages are reaching thousands of people by using the power of social media.

Before, going into the list, we would like to say that these real estate brokerages do not have to be our clients, subscribers or followers.

Furthermore, we did not solicit any real estate brokerages before the research or writing of the lists.

Here’s how the Real Estate Brokerages are selected:

Initial Research on Real Estate Brokerages

We looked at hundreds of popular Real Estate Brokerages across North America. We found these real estate brokerages through different mediums including:

• Google
• Bing
• Facebook Search
• Instagram Search
• Twitter Search

Inclusions and Ranking (Objective Data)

Once we had our list of popular real estate brokerages. We looked at objective data regarding the real estate brokerages’ social media presence, including the following:

Followers:
• Facebook Page Likes
• Instagram Followers
• Twitter Followers

Engagement:
• Facebook Post likes, comments, shares and views (for videos)
• Instagram Post likes and comments
• Twitter favorites and retweets

Inclusions and Ranking (Subjective Data)

Finally, we make sure that all the real estate brokerages who made the final 30 have a great social media presence based on subjective variables, including the following:

• Brand image (quality of graphic design, pictures, videos)
• Value of content (how useful the content is to followers)
• Content mix (the mix of different types of posts)

With that being said, let’s get into the top list! Enjoy!

#10: The Boutique Real Estate Group

“Inspired by purpose, driven by passion”; that’s a motto we definitely want to hear from a real estate brokerage company. The Boutique Real Estate Group knows how to engage their followers on social media as they provide luxurious and dreamy photos of property interiors and exteriors.

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