Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

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Do You Know What Percentage Of Buyers Start Their Home Search On The Internet?

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

87%.

87% of buyers start their home search on the Internet.

80%.

80% of buyers will choose the first agent they come across to work with

Want to increase your business? Be the first agent that a buyer comes across.  That’s where we can help.  I say “we” because I am not an individual, I have a network of people that will help you.

I’m a marketing representative for Old Republic Title Agency here is the Phoenix Metro Area.  I can help you build your business.

How ?

Great Question!

Most REALTOR’s are still using Outbound marketing techniques to build their business like

  • Flyers
  • postcards
  • tradeshows
  • door knocking
  • purchased lists
  • Email Blasts
  • Cold Calling

These are considered interruption marketing where a REALTOR pushes his/her message out far and wide hoping that it resonates with that needle in the haystack that is considering buying or selling at the moment your message lands -if it lands at all. Outbound Marketing techniques are becoming less and less effective because the average consumer is overwhelmed by over 1500 marketing interruptions per day, like you and I, (we are consumers too) they are figuring out better and better ways to block them out. Examples are, Caller ID, DVR or TiVo, Satellite radio, junk mail, Do Not Call lists, no soliciting etc..

Rather than spend lots of your time and money on Outbound Marketing to the masses of people who are trying to block you out, we suggest using “Inbound Marketing” techniques where you help yourself “get found” by people already learning about buying or selling Real Estate in Arizona.

I will help you with implementing Inbound Marketing techniques or Permission based marketing tools like

  • Custom WordPress Blogs
  • ActiveRain
  • Facebook
  • Facebook Fanpages
  • Search Engine Optimization or SEO
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Review Sites like Yelp
  • RSS Feeds
  • Landing Pages

Inbound marketing is bringing your customers to you. The best part is, Inbound marketing tools and techniques are a lot cheaper and more effective than outbound marketing tools.

So, here is my question to you: If I can provide you with the same level of service or better than you currently receive AND I can help you build your business…..Can we do business?

If the answer is yes, lets meet for coffee.

Stephen Garner, Marketing Rep
Old Republic Title Agency
480-223-8113
MyTitleGuy@Me.com

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Inbound Marketing, Marketing | 1 Comment »

Arizona Realtors, Is Your Marketing Rep A Business Partner Or An Order Taker?

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Arizona REALTOR’s:  If I can promise you the same level of service as you currently receive (or better) and I can help you increase your business, Can we do business?

I know it sounds like a silly question but its a serious one.

I want to help you increase your business.

I am a marketing representative for a local title company.  Normally I would start a conversation with you by saying “my escrow officers provide fantastic service”.  Normally.  Because of the downturn in the housing market and the overall economy, the only escrow officers that should be left are the good ones.  So every escrow officer should provide fantastic service. {should}.

Now that we have that part out of the way, I have a question for you.

Are you getting the value from your marketing rep?

We have already established that you have a good escrow officer, what about the rep you work with?

Did you know that title companies in Arizona hire marketing reps to help you increase your business?

So…..is he/she?  Do you have a Business Partner-Or an Order Taker?

When is the last time that your marketing rep, did something or showed you how to do something that increased your business?

If the answer is “never”:, than stop reading immediately and call me.  After all, we have already established that I have great escrow officers too. :-)

I have a proposition for you: I want to provide you with a fantastic escrow officer, and at the same time….help you increase your business.

Does that sound fair?

How will you do this Stephen?

Great question!

Did you know that 87% of buyers start their home search on the Internet?

Did you also know that 80% of buyers will choose the first agent they come across to work with?

That means that part of the way to increase your business is, be the first agent that a buyer comes across.  That’s where we can help.  I say “we” because I am not an individual, I have a network of people that will help you.

My network and I will help you increase your business using the Internet.

I have a network of professionals that will help you increase your web presence and your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) using tools like

  • Custom WordPress Blogs
  • ActiveRain
  • Facebook
  • Facebook Fanpages
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Review Sites like Yelp
  • RSS Feeds
  • Landing Pages

These are all considered Inbound Marketing techniques or permission based marketing.  Inbound marketing is bringing your customers to you. Best part, its usually a lot cheaper and more effective than outbound marketing tools or Interruption Marketing tools like

  • Flyers
  • postcards
  • tradeshows
  • door knocking
  • purchased lists
  • Email Blasts
  • Cold Calling

where a REALTOR pushes his/her message out far and wide hoping that it resonates with that needle in the haystack that is considering buying or selling at the moment your message lands -if it lands at all. Outbound Marketing techniques are becoming less and less effective because the average consumer is overwhelmed by over 1500 marketing interruptions per day, like you and I, (we are consumers too) they are figuring out better and better ways to block them out. You know, Caller ID, DVR or TiVo, Satellite radio, junk mail, Do Not Call lists, no soliciting etc..  Another reason traditional real estate marketing techniques are becoming less successful is that the cost of learning about something new or shopping for something new using the Internet is so low. It’s immediate gratification. When is the last time you used a phone book for it’s intended purpose?

Rather than spend lots of your time and money on outbound marketing to the masses of people who are trying to block you out, we suggest using “inbound marketing” techniques where you help yourself “get found” by people already learning about buying or selling Real Estate in Arizona.

So, which one is your marketing representative providing you with? :-)

Call or email me to get started on the path to more business at less cost.

Stephen Garner
480-223-8113
MyTitleGuy@Me.com

For All Your Marketing Escrow And Title Needs

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Posted in Inbound Marketing, Marketing | No Comments »

Evo Terra to teach Facebook 101 class at Arizona School of Real Estate

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

If you have been wondering how to integrate Facebook into your business, this is the class for you.  This class will be taught by one of Arizona’s finest Social Media Experts.  Evo Terra has been hired by NAR for national speaking engagements to discuss some of his accomplishments and expertise in the new world of Social Media marketing.  If you do not use, do not want to use, do not understand what is, or want to use Social Media, you do not want to miss this class.  This is a Smurcle.com/ MyTitleGuy Exclusive! Read on for class registration.

Facebook 101

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Posted in Education, Inbound Marketing, Marketing | 1 Comment »

Realtors and Mobile Marketing

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Are you ready for mobile marketing?  Did you know that mobile marketing is expected to direct more traffic than the “traditional Internet” does today?  Mobile marketing is a huge deal for your real estate business.  You would be best served to understand it.

Most Realtors and loan officers judge their website or blog by the way it looks and its functionality. Sure, looks is important but its not all “that and a bag of chips”.  What does your website or blog look like?  Is there flash?  Flash is awesome…isn’t it?

Nope.

Consumers deal with immediate gratification. That means that they are more likely to browse the Internet from their phone’s (iPhone, blackberry, Droid, HTC)  than waiting to search when they get home.

Pull up your website, how does it look?  Now pull up your website on your phone.  Does your website still provide the same functionality?  Can a consumer find the same information? Is your website still useful?

What about connection speed?

How long does it take your page to load?  Is it like 3 or 4G or is it sloooow like dial-up? The faster your page loads on a mobile device, the more likely a consumer will search and stay on your site.

If your site is not optimized for today’s smart phones, you may want to look into getting it optimized.

If you are a Realtor or Lender in the Phoenix Metro area, lets talk.  I can help you grow your business.

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Marketing | 1 Comment »

Realtors: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You.

It’s Sunday morning, I’m enjoying my first cup of coffee with my 1 year old son Alejandro, (no he is not drinking coffee).

My ritual is pretty much the same every morning. I get woken up by Alejandro, then my 6 year old gets up and asks me to turn on the computer so she can go to Playhouse Disney or Nick Jr and I make my coffee while listening to the local news.

It’s the local news that prompted this early morning post.  Seems like every other commercial I hear ends with the same call to action “Follow us on Facebook and Twitter”.  The newscasters say “for more information go to my blog or follow me on Facebook and Twitter”.

This new chant that I hear all over the TV and radio prompted me to wonder why so many real estate professionals I talk to don’t understand the significance of the change that is occurring.

Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc… represent the future of Real Estate. It’s not me that is saying this, it’s the consumer-they are the driving force behind the changes.

Then it hit me…part of the challenge with this shift has to do with age.  The average age of a Realtor in the United States is 56 while the average age of a buyer is 36, and therein lies one of the problems.

“What we have here is a failure to communicate” Cool Hand Luke

There are 400 Million people on Facebook.  Facebook eclipsed Google as the webs top destination in March 2010, the average consumer spends 55 minutes per day on Facebook, Twitter adds 10,000 users every day, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine, 96% of consumers belong to a social network, 25% of the information on the internet is links to user written content…..these are all facts, but you wouldn’t know it or understand it unless you are using these technologies.

The consumer wants what they want.  It’s that simple. They want to share information, and they want immediate gratification. The change last year to FLEXMLS was an excellent example of what the consumer wants.  One of the main features of Flex is the ability for the consumer to search for listings, they want to be in control of what they see, not what you send them that “fits their needs”.

There are 1000′s of conversations going on right now about real estate but you can’t hear them unless you are on the same frequency-that frequency IS social media.

If you are a Realtor or Loan Officer in the Phoenix Metro area, please call me for a one-on-one appointment to discuss your social media goals.

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Inbound Marketing, Marketing | No Comments »

Arizona REALTORS: Is Your Marketing Ahead Of The Market?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

I took a drive up to Scottsdale from the southeast valley today to hear Max Pigman of Realtor.com discuss capturing and converting buyers, social media and getting ready for profit in 2010.  Just when I thought I knew it all, someone like Max comes along and puts what I was thinking into hard numbers.  That what he did for me, and that what I will attempt to do for you.

Now, this information is for my clients, if you are not one of them, kindly close this page and go about your day…….

OK, now that they are gone…..  Here we go.

What is the market doing?

Nationally we have seen 8 straight months of rising higher sales rates. More houses will be sold this year than last year and more the following year.

REALTOR.com expects 15% higher unit sales nationally.

Have you seen the local news lately? Even the news is encouraging buyers to get off the fence and buy now.

Why this is a great opportunity for you:
1980 there were 760,000 REALTORS in the U.S., at a time when there were 17, 18 or even 19% interest rates. 70,000 of these folks got out of the business in 1990 due to the recession.
1990 673,000
1990 820,794
1995 726,251
2000 756,748
2006 1,103,386
2007 1,265,569
2008 1,336,855

NAR has just announced they expect their membership to drop to approximately 1,112,645 members. This number is down 224,000. This means there will be more homes sold this year than last year AND there are less competing REALTOR’s.

Here is your opportunity:

Most profit is made by REALTORs that are positioning themselves for the rebounding market. Your marketing needs to be ahead of the market. Most agents I speak to are shell shocked, they have cut out most if not all of their marketing!  You have an opportunity to be in the right place at the right time.

In the next 90 days, there should be alot of buyers entering the market, more and more buyers believe the market has experienced a “snap bounce” they believe the market has gone down too far and will rebound quickly.  This is a great time to capture market share.

Is now the right time to buy?

YES! You know it and so do I.

Facts:

In 2007 the average price here in Phoenix was 257,900. In 2009 Q4 the average price was 143,900. That is a 44.01% decline!

Now could be the perfect time to buy. Lets take a a value of $300,000.

2006 value                                      $300,000
Today’s value                                      167,700
% adjustment                                         44.1%

Difference                                          $132,300

Now factor in appreciation.  Lets use conservative estimates.

5 year Appreciation estimate

Year 1    0%

Year 2    1%

Year 3    2%

Year 4    3%

Year 5    4%
2015 estimate of value for  a home purchased today is $184,470
potential gain $16,770
tax credit $8,000

Gain in 5 years =$24,770

BUT…..If interest rates go up even .5% a buyer will have $25,000 less in purchasing power. This is why it’s important to buy now..

I’m telling you, This is the most opportunistic market most people have EVER or EVER will see.

There are more houses to sell and less agents to sell them. There is some opportunity there for you.

Of course, all the information above assumes that you are continuing to market yourself.  When a buyer believes that there is a great opportunity to buy, they will go to the Internet.

Will they find you?

Ready?

Go.

Arizona Realtors, If you would like help getting your marketing set up to take advantage of these opportunities, Lets Talk…. please call me.

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Education, Inbound Marketing, Marketing, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Recon in Real Estate

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

I am a title rep in the Phoenix Metro area. My job in a nutshell is to convince you, the Realtor to use my title company over one of the other 50+ in my market.

Before I contact you I do a little recon. I get my Camouflage, binoculars, some eye black, black steel-toe boots and my ghillie suit. Then I sneak ever so quietly into your market to see what you are all about.

Ok, I really don’t do this.

I go to Google. And you know what…..so does everyone else.

Going to Google is no different than the recon listed above.  Just imagine all those potential buyers and sellers doing their recon on you.

What will they find?

When it comes to the Internet, you either exist or you don’t.

If a buyer or seller Google’s you and doesn’t find anything, or rather….anything of value, what does that say about you?

Over the years I have developed a relationship with a few different partners that offer value to me and my clients.  While my competitors may offer postcards and flyers, we offer SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services and custom blogs.

I can help you set up your free blog and integrate it with other social media tools to start building your business.

In today’s day and age having an internet presence has never been more important.  Remember….87% of buyers go to the internet first when looking for Real Estate.  While postcards and flyers may make the phone ring now and then, they most likely won’t capture the woman in Michigan that has decided she has had it with the winters.  She is going to Google.

Will you be there?

Realtor or Loan Officer in Arizona? Call or email me to discuss how I can help you.

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Blogging, Inbound Marketing, Marketing | 1 Comment »

Introducing the B.S. Show!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Did you hear the latest Buzz?  Its seems there are 2 crazy guys out there in the Phoenix Metro area that are breaking all the barriers when it comes to marketing. What are they doing?

Remember that game you played in high school, maybe college….maybe pre-school (if you were cool) called B.S.? Can’t say what it’s really called here…. {Insert words to play along at home.}

You know the game involving a deck of cards, maybe some beverages and as many players as you choose.

Using the BS format, our show will focus on Short Sales in Arizona.  Sample question, “I was told I need an attorney to negotiate a short sale for me, Is this true?”

B.S.! {correct answer and explanation to follow.}

Below is our first episode.



The best part is, unlike TV, the folks at home actually get to participate. We are currently looking for short sale experts to appear on the BS show, (Loan Officers, Accountants, CPA’s, Bank Negotiators, Attorneys etc.).

To the folks at home, email us your questions to BSBlogQuestions@Gmail.com and we will answer them on the B.S. show.

Wondering why we call our show the B.S. Show?

B: Blair Ballin, a local short sale Realtor with Williams Real Estate Company

S:  Stephen “MyTitleGuy” Garner, a local Title Rep with a national Title Company.

Notice the visual aid…..My hair!

Thanks for stopping by!

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Education, Marketing, The B.S. Show | 2 Comments »

Arizona Realtors, What Is Your Title Rep Doing To Grow Your Business?

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Boy oh boy, the times are a changing!

I remember the days when I would leave a voicemail for a Realtor and get no response.  I remember the days when a Realtor would tell me they work with XYZ title because “their Rep is Hot!” (I still laugh at that one by the way…..) The times are changing, Realtors and Loan Officers are demanding more from their vendors. And rightfully so I might add.

I had a great meeting with a Realtor awhile ago. He started by telling me he gets great service from his current title company but (and get this) …..they dont actually help him increase his business (oh the shock and awe!!) 15 minutes into the meeting he says , and I quote “Damn, I feel guilty, Ive never considered switching title companies before”. You see, great service in this enonomy should be a given, no matter what industry you are in.    So, take great service off the table,.

NOW…..what is your title company doing to increase your business?  If you can’t answer this question instantly, you might want to consider a change to “MyTitleGuy”. You see,  I believe that we are in an economy that everyone should demand more from their vendors. (more bang for your buck-if you will).

YES, it was a little challenging to find a good escrow officer years ago, but its not a challenge anymore.  Why?

Darwinism, survival of the fittest….the economy has forced title companies, really all companies to retain only the best of the best.  That being said, how would your real estate business benefit if you had a great escrow officer and a great marketing rep? A marketing rep that understands and leverages technology?

Question: If 87% of buyers go to the internet when looking for Real Estate, isn’t that where you should be? Are you?

Back to my story.

This particular Realtor started out by telling me he doesn’t want flyer’s or postcards, (Staples of the traditional title rep) luckily, I abandoned those fossils three years ago in favor of technology.  I loved the fact that I didn’t have to spend anytime convincing this agent that flyer’s and postcards have limited success, he already knew it.  His question was simple, How can you help me build my business?

Want to know what I told him?

Now I have a proposition for you:

Every good sales person should have a call to action, here’s mine:

If I can provide you with the same (or better) level of service as you have right now AND I can demonstrate how I can help you increase your business……can we do business?

MyTitleGuy

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

Posted in Escrow and Title, Marketing | 2 Comments »

What’s Old Republic Title Agency’s Advantage Program?

Monday, March 8th, 2010

AAH-the good old days-

Remember the good old days when at the end of a signing your clients would get a copy of everything that was signed or reviewed at the closing? You know, that big heavy package filled with copies of the purchase contract, note, deed of trust, pre-audit, final HUD 1, title commitment, invoices, home warranty information, appraisal, signed loan documents, escrow instructions, seller payoff and new lender information? (Breathe)

Well the old days are over at Old Republic Title Agency. That’s because we recently started Advantage.

Advantage is a CD that provides instant access to pertinent documents, it’s convenience at its finest. Advantage transforms your customers bulky unorganized file into a small company disc.

Tim Loria, Realtor-JK Realty

Caption: Tim Loria, Realtor with JK Realty in Mesa receiving his Advantage CD from a recent closing.

Benefits of Advantage

  • Handy access for all future financial transactions
  • Your clients will keep CD’s more often than large paper files
  • Professional, finished product with no additional cost at closing
  • Each time the CD is used they are reminded of who gave it to them-YOU
  • Your name and contact information are prominently displayed on the CD
  • Organized in an efficient manner around the needs of your client
  • Can be used as a valuable mailing piece at tax time
  • Its GREEN! You’re saving trees

Did you know that home warranty is the #1 referenced information after the closing…..more opportunity to see your name and contact information-again-helps with client retention.

For more information about Advantage or to find out other ways I can help build your business, please call or email me.

Old Republic Title Agency
1744 S. Val Vista Drive #213
Mesa, AZ 85204
Office: 480-892-2306
Fax:    480-892-2680

For All Your Marketing, Escrow and Title Needs

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Posted in Buyers, Education, Escrow and Title, Marketing, Sellers | No Comments »

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Stephen Garner
Phone: 480-223-8113
Fax: 480-892-2680