Website Tips

Tips on What to Include in Your Real Estate Agent Website Privacy Policy

Who’d have thought real estate agent marketing would be fraught with such peril? Post-Facebook election snafu, privacy policy updates are bombarding customer emails nationwide. Aside from thanking Mr. Zuckerberg for adding to your endless to-do list, you must also ensure the compliancy of your agent website with an updated policy.

What Should You Include in Your Updated Agent Website Privacy Policy?

In real estate agent marketing, in light of recent events, it’s imperative that your privacy policy be easy to read and understand, including the following general facets:

– A general introduction noting how strongly you value and respect client privacy and safeguard data.

– A listing of the information you will collect, including:
Personal information provided by the client
Registration information
Email/phone information
Website use information (cookies)

– A section on how you will use client information (marketing, promotion, payment processing, to improve content/services, etc.)

– What information, if any, you share with third parties

– A section disassociating your business from websites linked to yours

– How you will protect information (physical/electronic/managerial measures)

– It’s also useful to provide clients a sort of technical dictionary post-policy. Information that defines cookies, dynamic ads, retargeting, etc.

– Opt-in/out procedures

– How you’ll handle privacy policy changes (email, post-to-site)

– Consent for use of website (that lovely box everyone has to check)

I’m No Shakespeare – Where Can I Find a Good Example?

A great example of a privacy policy that includes this information can be found here. Or if you prefer an easier approach, check out this free privacy policy tool. With about 15-minutes, give or take a few questions, you can ensure an understandable policy that safeguards you against liability, and adheres to most state/federal privacy laws and third party initiatives.

Changing Internet privacy policy laws have you ducking your head? Properties Online has your back with the latest real estate agent marketing tools and tips.

What’s The Biggest Mistake That Makes Potential Buyers Walk?

You’ve listed and helped potential buyers tour countless homes. So many so that over the years you’ve become desensitized to the features that can quickly cost a sale – the ones that leave shoppers cringing and slinking away in horror. Could your next listing suffer an abrupt death by these sinister saboteurs? In today’s real estate sales tips, we’ll look at the features on a house that can make buyers bail faster than getting ambushed by a crazy ex on a blind date…

What Baggage are Your Listings Holding?

– Run-Down Kitchens
The heart of the home, small, outdated features and ancient appliances are a huge deal-breaker. A fresh coat of paint and upgrading outdated appliances offers the best bang-for-the-buck here.

– Gross Bathrooms
Put this among your top real estate sales tips for home sellers: button-up the bath. Dirty bathrooms, specifically tubs, and floors outfitted with carpet (which most buyers will outright refuse) are top offenders here. Pull the rug, snap in some inexpensive vinyl laminate, refinish the tub, and keep things clean!

– Dark Rooms
Dungeon-like rooms can reflect on the entire home, making it feel dark and uninviting. Open blinds/curtains, bright (and updated) lighting, light wall colors and mirrors can go a long way to adding a feel of spaciousness and brightness.

– Empty Rooms
A room devoid of furniture can leave buyers scratching their heads. It’s much easier to help them envision themselves in a space when outfitted (even temporarily) as a guest bedroom or office.

– Cluttered Playrooms
On the flipside, toy-explosions make homes look unkempt.

– Cluttered Closets
Lack of storage space is a real killer. Cut clothing avalanches and increase the feel of space by removing at least two-thirds of closet detritus.

Don’t let your next home showing end up like a bad blind date. Keep things on the right track with the latest real estate sales technology and tips from Properties Online today.

Why Real Estate Video Marketing Works – The Statistical Data

Real estate video marketing is opening new doors, solving the age-old ‘client connection’ conundrum for realtors. Rather than a seconds-long in-person, phone, or text introduction, real estate video offers agents the opportunity to meet with prospective clients face-to-face, establishing a repertoire, with little to no time investment.

What makes this marketing medium so much more effective than its predecessors?

Stop the Presses

– Online video accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic – up to 69% for certain networks.

– Visual content (photos and videos) drives engagement over text, with visuals processed 60,000-times faster than type by the brain.

– Mobile and tablet shoppers are 3-times as likely to view a video as those on a laptop/desktop.

– Over 1-billion unique YouTubers watch more than 4-billion hours of video MONTHLY.

– The average user spends 88% more time on websites with video.

– 92% of mobile video perusers share online video content with others, which are shared 1200% more than link/text combinations.

Hold the Phone

– It is over 50-times easier to achieve a page-1 Google ranking with video according to Forrester Research.

– Video and email marketing can boost click-through rates by 90%.

– Landing pages taking advantage of video provide up to 800% more conversion than an identical page without a video.

– 90% of home shoppers use the Internet while searching for properties, with 85% of buyers looking to photos as ‘very useful’ in the decision-making process.

– Real estate listings utilizing video get 403% more inquiries than those without.

– Shoppers who viewed videos are 174% more likely to make a purchase than those who do not.

Don’t Put the Brakes on Your Career!

– Viewers retain 95% of video messages (versus 10% of text).

– Viewer enjoyment increases purchase intent by 97%, and brand association (customer loyalty) by 139%

Seventy-three-percent of homeowners prefer a realtor who offers video. Don’t get left on the sidelines. Jump into the world of real estate video marketing with the help of Properties Online today.

Social Marketing Tips Clients ‘Like’

Marketing on social media sites is integral for agents, yet many have only scratched the surface of their social media potential. In today’s real estate marketing tips, we’ll take a look at maximizing this potential, and how to get potential customers to ‘like’ you… Before they ‘swipe left’ on your brand.

Seven Ways to Step-Up Your Social Marketing Game

– Make Sharing Simpler
With a responsive layout, clear photography, easy to find/use buttons including favorites and links to other social sharing sites.

– Take Advantage of Facebook Groups
Link Facebook Groups to your FB page, using them to boost networking and offer additional client services. Monitor questions buying/selling clients are looking for help on in the group, and show off your expertise!

– Share More, with Reviews & Services
Enable both reviews and services to gain referrals (the best kind of marketing collateral), allowing clients to make appointments or message you with questions and simplifying the ‘connection’ process.

– Add a Cover Video
Facebook promotional videos far surpass page cover photos, instantly grabbing visitor attention. (Don’t forget a matching call-to-action button, such as ‘book now’ for free consultations.)

– Go Live
At a property, promoting a behind-the-scenes, unedited ‘scoop’ on new listings.

– Get Chatty
Building a Facebook Messenger chatbot through Sprout Social to answer common questions, offer impressive turnaround on inquiries, and cut down on your workload. Include closest listings by zip code, listings by price range, how to prep a home for sale, and more.

– Build Trust
With frequent posts, infographics, how-to videos, and other free real estate marketing tips. These are some of the easiest ways to build rapport without openly ‘pushing’ your services.

Eighty-four-percent of boomers and 94% of millennials rely on the Internet to search for their future home. How big a slice might you be missing out on with lackluster, behind-the-times marketing schemes? Step things up with the help of these and other real estate marketing tips from Properties Online today.

Tips for Using Music in Your Real Estate Videos

Professionals are increasingly turning to real estate video marketing to showcase listings. However faux pas abound, from shoddy photos and footage, to irritating, offensive background music that sends potential clients screaming (while covering their ears) in the opposite direction. In today’s video marketing tips, we’re going to look closer at the latter, lending an ear to learning about music selection…

(Don’t) Play that Funky Music
Instead of Dick Clark’s top 40 countdown hits, real estate video marketing should take advantage of instrumental music tracks that set a warm, relaxed tone, engaging the listener, but not overpowering the message (the home listing). Recognizable tunes that have the viewer singing/humming along shift attention from the home to the music, which is not where you want to be. Match your selection to the pace/content of listing video content to add interest, keeping prospects engrossed in the experience.

What About a Voice-Over?
Most videos don’t need a voice track at all. A simple text cue of home features works better, especially with regionally-specific accents (Texas, Tennessee, New York, New England).

Jam-Free Music Access
To avoid legal hoopla (legal action and fines), look to ‘royalty-free’ music. With royalty-free music, you pay one set price, and can use it over-and-over (separately on videos, website, blogs/vlogs) at no additional cost. Watch out for music that’s not royalty-free, or you’ll be forking over every time someone clicks on your video link.

Where to Find Music to Sway Customers
Virtuets, the latest video builder tool from Properties Online, offers a host of royalty-free music for your selection. This service is free with most of our products. Prefer to do-it-yourself, or looking for a wider selection? YouTube also provides free, royalty-free music to account holders. For a small fee, sites like Pond5 and AudioMicro.com also offer realty-specific options.

Sway customers with winning real estate video marketing tips. Set yourself on the path to success with the help of PropertiesOnline today.

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