3 Proven Strategies – NAR 2011 Presentation

The specific real estate wordpress blogs featured in the presentation are linked to below.  If I was able to identify the developer, I’ve included it after the blog.  For details of why each blog was selected for the presentation (it might be for their use of theme, as an example of a specific functionality, or for their use of a specific plugin), please reference the presentation itself.

Featured Sites:

• Managing Broker/Principal Brad Nix’s Maxsell.net
• Agent Loren Sanders iCarlsbad.com (Developer – Agent Evolution)
• Agent Irina Netchaev’s PasadenaViews.com
• Agent Dru Bloomfield’s AtHomeInScottsdale.com
• Agent Amanda McMillan’s ChicgagoHomePartner.com (Developer – Loren Nason)
• Agent Janie Coffey’s TheCoralGablesStory.com
• Agent Downtown Scotty Brown’s ScottyBrown.com (Developer – HomeQuest)
• Agent’s Ginger Wilcox’s  BlogByTheBay.com
• Agent Brad Coy’s SFres.com (Developer – Virtual Results)
• Escrow Company American Trust Escrow (Developer – Real Estate Tomato)
• Apartment Management Company PenmarProperties.com (Developer – Twin Cities Tech)
• Agents Linda & Steve Haycox’s HomesByHaycox.com (Developer – Agent Evolution)
• Owner/Managing Broker Bob Lilley’s RobertLilley.com
• Broker/Owner Jay Thompson’s PheonixRealEstateGuy.com (Self Developed)
• Agents John and Sarah Payson’s ThePaysonGroup.com (Developer – HomeQuest)
• Agent Terence Richardson’s MetroAtlantaPros.com
• CoastalHomeFinder.com (Developer – 1 ParkPlace)
• Agent Mariana Wagner’s ColoradoSpringsRealEstateConnection.com
• Agent Brian Copeland’s NashvilleAndBeyond.com
• Mortgage Broker Scott Schang’s HomeownershipUniversity.com (Self Developed)
• Agent Kendra Todd’s KendraToddGroup.com
• Agent Steve Wickland’s WicklandGroup.com (Developer – Dakno Marketing)
• Agent Michelle Silverman’s ViewsOfLaJolla.com
• Broker/Owner Linsey Planeta’s MRealtyOC.com (Developer – HomeQuest)
• Escrow VP Bob Fox’s MyBuyerNeeds.com
• Brokerage EWM’s blog.Ewm.com (Developer – Real Estate Tomato)
• Agent Riley Smith’s CoralGablesRealEstateVault.com (Developer – Real Estate Tomato)

Special thanks go out to Steve Zehngut and Scott Schang for taking the time to share their knowledge with me which contributed to the content in this presentation.  Also, thanks to Jason Berman for the opportunity to be part of RE BlogWorld – I had a blast!

1.  CALIFORNIA REALTOR® EXPO Main Event

On Wednesday, October 6^th from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, I’ll be speaking on Social Media Strategy for Newbies:  How To Get Started. A firm believer in the importance of incorporating digital marketing strategies into a real estate business plan, I’m excited to be presenting on this topic with the goal of getting Realtors pointed down the right path with social media.  I understand how the myriad of digital tools – such as blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, FourSquare, texting, email, CRM systems, websites – can seem like too many options and technically overwhelming to many agents.  In addition, the pace of technology evolution can leave some feeling left in the dust.  My goal is to simplify the seemingly complex, discuss the foundational elements you need to succeed in social media, focus the audience on a strategy that will be an effective and practical, and highlight where today’s Realtor should focus their time and resources.  C.A.R. EXPO is a member benefit and as a result, there is no fee to attend if you are a member of the California Association of Realtors.  You just need to register here and you are in.

2.       Tech Tuesday

The day before my presentation, I’ll also be attending Tech Tuesday on Tuesday, October 5^th.  Not familiar with Tech Tuesday?  Here’s what it is about:

Tech Tuesday provides a full day of tech-savvy sessions for REALTORS®. Scheduled for Oct. 5, this must-attend event will empower you to weave technology into your daily business to remain effective and efficient in today’s evolving marketplace

Whether you consider yourself a tech novice or a member of real estate’s digital elite, Tech Tuesday offers an array of sessions focusing on the hot topics you need to know more about, now.

The Tech Tuesday lineup if filled with some great sessions and outstanding speakers. There is a heavy focus on social media and I believe Tech Tuesday is a good investment for any Realtor looking for quality presenters talking about business relevant technologies of today.  I’ll be attending many of the sessions and look forward to watching presentations by many of my friends and colleagues in the space. There is always something new to learn. Tech Tuesday costs $95 to attend and you can register at the CAR Expo website.

3.       RE BarCamp Expo

On Monday, October 4^th, I, along with many of the Tech Tuesday speakers, will be attending RE BarCamp CAR Expo (also at the Anaheim convention center).  REBarCamp CAR Expo is a free, one day gathering of technology curious REALTORS® and industry professionals who come together to discuss how social media and technology are evolving the business of real estate.  I’ve been actively involved in prior RE BarCamps which happen all over the nation, having coordinated RE BarCamp Orange County two years running and RE BarCamp NAR in San Diego last year.  RE BarCamp is a full day of networking and learning and if you are in the Anaheim area on Monday and want to soak up some great information on technology and real estate, you should plan to attend.  There is no cost to participate in this event, but you do need to pre-register at the RE BarCamp CAR Expo website.

One of my favorite parts about attending events like the CAR Expo is the people that I meet.  If you will be attending my session, or any of the surrounding events, please introduce yourself.  And, if you are on twitter, send me a tweet (@staceyharmon) so we connect.  See you in Anaheim!

Back by popular demand (I assume) and a successful showing at Agent Reboot San Francisco, I’ve been asked to speak again at both Agent Reboot Los Angeles on August 5^th and Agent Reboot San Diego on August 25^th.  I’ll again be speaking on Managing Your Content and Reputation on the Web.  I’ve got a new co-presenter –the wonderful and talented Linsey Planeta, Broker/Owner of M Realty Orange County, who will be sharing some of her success secrets on stage.  Our presentation features a series of case studies from practicing Realtors used to illustrate the concepts we advocate in order to protect and manage your business brand in this internet age.  In addition to our presentation, additional Agent Reboot topics include:

• Must-Have Tools for the Agent with Mobile Mojo
• From Clicks to Closings: Turning Your Online Marketing Strategy into a Lead Machine
• Mastering Social Media to Expand Your Reach Online

There is a great cast of qualified presenters and working real estate professionals on the docket sharing their knowledge about these topics and more. Any Realtor looking to gain an introduction to how to appropriately apply technology to their marketing and their business should attend.  Pre-registration is a deal at $79, or you can pay $149 at the door.  Either way, please send me a tweet (@staceyharmon) letting me know you are there, or be sure to come up and say hi in Los Angeles or San Diego.  Hope to see you there!

For further information on the two events, check out the event pages below:

• Agent Reboot LA
• Agent Reboot SD

I had a great time presenting with Heather Elias at the Agent Reboot conference on Monday, July 12th in San Francisco.  Inman News did a recap of the day and included several quotes from our presentation (you’ll need to be an Inman Premium Member to view the full article).  Our presentation slides along with a description of some of our main points are below:

We centered around three main concepts for Realtors to Manage Your Content and Reputation on the Web.  For each concept, we provided case studies which illustrated the concept, and followed that up with tools that are useful in executing the concept.  The three concepts we presented were:

• Concept 1:  Have a Hub and Spoke System
• Concept 2:  Monitor Your Online Presence
• Concept 3:  Be Consistent

Heather served as the case study for the hub and spoke system.  Her hub is her blog and our point with this concept is that you need to have a central place on the web where you are constantly referring people to to learn more about you.  For Heather, this is her blog, which is the preferred approach as you own the content on your blog and control the hosting environment.  However, a LinkedIn profile, or Facebook Business Page can also act as a hub to your system.  These options come with business risk however as you are playing in LinkedIn and Facebook’s sandbox and you don’t own the content. You are at the mercy of their Terms of Service.  It can be a risk, but those sites can still be used as the center of your strategy and where you link back to from all of your online activities.

We also advocated monitoring what you do.  Social media and digital marketing vehicles offer a world of analytic and statistic options.  Both Heather and I utilize Google Analytics, Google Alerts, and Facebook Insights to gauge the effectiveness of our online activities.  I also advocate email marketing and when you use providers such as Mail Chimp, you have access to reports which detail out the success of the messages you send.

Finally, whatever online activities you choose to participate in (and you don’t have to do all that Heather does – a few select vehicles when properly utilized can yield positive results), be consistent in what you do from both a branding perspective, and a username perspective.  Heather does a great job of this in carrying her online visual brand through to her offline materials as does Walter Burns with his Living on the Hudson brand.   Heather also has been creative in choosing a username that is unique to her area LoCoMusings (short for Loudon County Musings) and she uses that across multiple channels to represent the real estate brand that she has been building.

The next Agent Reboot will be in Los Angeles on August 5th.  It’s a great day full of outstanding information from qualified presenters.  More details and registration can be found here.  Hope to see you there!

I’m on my way to San Francisco next week for the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference and am excited to be part of the inaugural Agent Reboot – a one day event produced by Inman News and premiering July 12th, the day before the Real Estate Connect show.  I will be presenting with tech-savvy Realtor Heather Elias (who was highlighted in a recent post on Agent Applause) on how real estate professionals can “Manage Reputation and Content on the Web”.  We’re on at 11:30 am.

So What is Agent Reboot? As the event website states:

Agent Reboot is a power-packed, low cost, local event for real estate professionals. This one-day, fast-paced program, will equip agents with the latest in business development, technology and marketing skills to help them be more successful. Agent Reboot is being offered in 12 cities across the United States.

Are you a real estate professional who will be in the Bay Area on Monday July 12th? If so, join me for this day of learning led by a great lineup of progressive industry professionals who really get all this technology stuff.   Check out the full schedule here and you can register in advance for a discounted rate of $99 (vs. $149 at the door) – it’s a deal!

See you in San Francisco and be sure to come say hello.

I’m looking to keep this presentation current.  If you know of any great examples of real estate websites that are built on WordPress, please let me know about them either in the comments, or by contact form.

And, if you are interested in consultation on a WordPress strategy for your real estate business, please contact Harmon Enterprises to discuss further.

The idea for the presentation came about when I realized that I had been attending Inman Real Estate Connect Conferences since 2000, but it wasn’t until I discovered social media in 2008 that I actually met anybody.  Going to a conference used to mean making connections with one or two people that I happened to sit by in a session.  Then, along came social media and suddenly I’m meeting literally hundreds of people.  Social media enabled me to learn about events like REBarCamp, and pre-meet people like Andy before I ever left my home.  And once at the conference, I have utilized tools like twitter to find people to have dinner with, see what sessions people were most interested, and find the party where the influencers are at.  Social media completely transformed my conference experience and made a huge impact on the value I attributed to the conferences I attended.

An understanding of the social media tools that can help you to connect and engage with more people at conferences can yield anyone greater ROI on their conference dollars.  And, it seems that a few people are interested in this topic.  As of the time of this post, there have been 1195 views of our presentation on Slideshare.net, and the presentation was selected to be featured on the homepage of the Slideshare website.

If you are a conference organizer and want to make sure your attendees are getting the most value possible out of their registration fee (and get them raving about your conference on social media), contact Harmon Enterprises to discuss how our consulting practice can help get your conference socially savvy!

On January 4th, 2010 Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp will have a repeat performance with a new lineup of speakers, and Harmon Enterprises is participating.  Our topic is Facebook Tools and Tricks – Separating Personal from Professional. Here is the session description from the event website:

Control who sees what! @StaceyHarmon will orient you to the Facebook tools that allow you separate your personal from your professional life and effectively use Facebook for business development as a Realtor. The session will cover applying Facebook’s newly updated privacy settings to your profile; grouping your friends, clients, and prospects into lists; and assigning permissions to status updates and photos. She’ll also show you the basics on how to create a Business Fan Page in order to further build your professional persona on Facebook.

It is free to attend Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp which is a full day of webinar presentations by some of the movers and shakers in the national real estate social media scene. There will be four separate webinars, or “rooms”, running concurrently and each presentation lasts 45 minutes.  All you need to do is have internet access and pre-register in order to get the login information for each of the rooms.  The full schedule can be found here and if you have an interest in hearing more about how social media can help build your business, you are encouraged to attend.  What better way to kick off a productive business year?!

Virtual RE BarCamp Summary:

Website:  www.VirtualREBarCamp.com
When:  January 4, 2010 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PST
Cost:  Free but you must register to receive webinar login information
Schedule:  As speakers are confirmed, the event calendar is updated

I’m excited to announce that I have been asked to speak at Real Estate Blog World, the one day industry vertical partner program preceding the Blog World and New Media Expo in Las Vegas.  I will be part of a panel discussing Business to Business marketing in real estate using social media (full conference schedule here).  My social media strategy and execution experience over the past year with Pango Group and their affiliated companies has given me much hands on experience with this topic and I look forward to sharing my perspective with those in attendance.  And I hope that includes you!  Have you registered yet?

If you are trying to decide if the expense is worth it for you, let me share my experience from attending last year.  I got talked into attending RE Blog World and Blog World at the last minute by Rob Hahn, and I was very hesitant to make the investment.  However, I am so grateful I did.  The conference was outstanding for me for several reasons.  First, at RE BlogWorld I met many of the people who are the movers and shakers in the RE.net.  Those introductions helped set the stage for the fun, fast paced, and successful year I’ve had since.  My work and social networks expanded in ways I didn’t anticipate.  I also learned a lot -  from the practical (Derek Overbey taught me about @replies and Tweet Deck for goodness sake!) to the theoretical.  Also, the main Blog World & Social Media Expo was filled with social media superstars.  The pioneers who influenced me and I watch on-line (people such as Lee LeFever and Guy Kawasaki) were sitting there, right next to me in sessions learning right along with me.   Others like Tim Ferriss and Mike Shinoda gave fascinating keynotes on stage opening my eyes to the power of social media in businesses unlike mine.  And, as Jeff Turner so eloquently reminded us at Inman Connect in San Francisco last month, innovation always comes from outside our industry.  Blog World provides access to social media applications and issues across industries and is presented by the biggest names out there.  For this reason alone, the conference is not to be missed.

The world of social media moves so fast.  The evolution of social media within real estate has been tremendous over the past year – I’ve seen it grow immensely from one RE BarCamp to the next, and one Inman Conference to the next.  RE Blog World will help those of us focused on the real estate industry to get a pulse on where things are at, what are the challenges, and help shed light on the opportunities.  And, I’m fascinated to see how social media has evolved outside the real estate industry in the past year and hear the impressions and creativity of those who drive social media in their business.   I’m honored to be contributing this year to RE Blog World and am very excited to see the other speakers lined up for the entire event.  I got so much out of blog world last year and can’t wait for this year.  I’ll see you there!

Conference Details:

• When:  October 15-17, 2009
• Where:  Las Vegas, NV
• Conference Websites:
  • RE Blog World
  • Blog World & New Media Expo
  • Registration
  • RE Blog World Program Schedule (I’m part of the Track 1 panel on B2B Social Media from 2:00 – 3:15)
  • RE Blog World Speakers (including me!)