Joelle Senter

How can you keep your website visitors engaged on your website and provide valuable information and resources? The answer is Widgets!

What is a Widget? According to Wikipedia:

· In computer programming, a widget (or control) is an element of a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays an information arrangement changeable by the user, such as a window or a text box. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widget_(computing)

Basically a Widget is a tool or application you place on your website to provide the end user with valuable resource such as a mortgage calculator, chat feature or social networking (Facebook, Linkedin etc.) bookmarking tool. These are applications that you do not need a webmaster or computer programmer in order to add to your website. Useful and free widgets can be found on these and other websites http://www.widgetbox.com/, http://widgets.yahoo.com/.

Here is an example of a “Local Area Information” Widget: created by ClassifiedFlyerAds.com:

Here is an example of a useful Widget created by Walkscore on promoting “Walkable Neighborhoods”

Widgets add “sticky content” to your website. Sticky content refers to content published on a website, which has the purpose of getting a user to return to that particular website or hold their attention and get them to spend longer periods of time at that site en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_content

Widgets are easy to add to your website and provide your visitors with valuable resources thus keeping the visitor on your website for longer. Your visitors will be sure to tell their friends about all the great information that can be found on your website which results in greater exposure for you and your brand.

Information provided courtesy of Cavin Weber, Keller Williams Realty Support.

I've been thinking about this topic for quite some time. What tools, systems and proficiencies must you absolutely have in place to be a successful real estate professional in this age of technology coupled with an, let's just call it, interesting real estate market?

Let me give you some examples:

• Do you need to have a dynamic SEO jacked-up real estate website, or can you simply offer a personal profile webpage with your contact information and current listings, as long as your past client and/or referral base is strong enough?
• Do you need to offer text messaging as a means of contacting you? While we're on the subject, how quickly do you need to respond to any inquiries?
• Must you have an active Facebook profile? Is a business page a requirement?
  
• What about Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc, where do you draw the line? Daily, weekly, monthly updates necessary?
  
• Blogs, a must for everyone or just for those who like to write and share?
• Contact management program: index cards? Outlook? Automated system?
• With all the leads coming in, at least we hope, is a lead management system imperative?
• Transaction management system, if necessary, which one(s)?
• Electronic signature solution, are we there yet?
  
• Email, what advanced proficiencies are required? What are your clients demanding?
• CMA, valuation tools?

There are countless other systems and tools out there but which ones are a must? If I get enough responses, I will collate a list of products suggested and share, throw in some candy too.

Next entry will be on how to budget for the "minimums", our favorite topic, hah!

Here were the highlights of last week's post regarding the importance or worthiness of true video when listing properties:

• It was pretty much unanimous, if we are planning to add video, it must be done professionally, whether that is us or someone else with the expertise.
• If we aren't a professional videographer, and we don't have the budget, stick with high-res stills, perhaps in a slideshow fashion.
• Most of us want to embrace true video technology in our business and see this as the logical next step, but do not feel we have the budget to do so (at least right now).
• Several of us consider it acceptable to call a slideshow of stills a virtual tour but not a video tour.
• The 2-step approach (mentioned above in the graph) refers to those who think the necessity of creating a video depends on a several things: price range of the home based on the local market, seller requests, potential branding opportunities, etc.
• Probably most importantly, regardless of whether we decide to add a video tour or not, we all felt it crucial to provide a high-quantity of high-quality photos.
• Lastly, also worth mentioning, many of the comments reminded us that without the price being right, it really doesn't matter if we offer great photos and/or videos. Yes, proper pricing is indeed a must!

Thank you to all of you who responded to my previous post which, obviously, helped me create this one. Your comments made me re-think some of the products we are and will be offering our agents to make their lives easier and keep our sellers happier.

Wishing You Great Success,

Joelle

http://www.kw.com

At what point is a property video really video? Does it matter?

When a real estate professional takes a listing and then proceeds to take multiple photos of a property, loads the photos into a slideshow sorter with a classic music background & then posts to a video hosting website, does this constitute a virtual tour? a video tour?

What if they throw in some slides with miscellaneous home-related or branding verbiage on them? Or, how about a recording of the agent's voice walking the would be viewer through the home and accompanying property?

Or rather, does the "video" indeed have to contain active video created by an actual video recording device of some sort?

I am not here to make judgments, I am simply curious to find out YOU think. What are the homebuyers looking for? Is bandwidth an issue for full blown video tours? Are homebuyers really just looking for a tremendous amount of high-quality stills including surrounding homes & communities or is true action video what they want?

So, the jury's out, which way are you leaning?

Cannot believe this is already my second week on the job at Keller Williams Realty, Int'l! Boy has it been a whirlwind of activity around here coming off KW's National Convention, Family Reunion 2010, in New Orleans the last week of February and now back in full force strategizing & implementing 2010's promised exciting deliverables.

As you can imagine, immediately upon starting my new position I was completely emerged in the paperless plans, mobile applications, the NEW KW.com (currently in beta testing, your input would be appreciated, hint, hint), advanced technology solutions for KW associates and market centers alike and much more! It is a dream come true for me to now have a bigger role in developing the vision and direction of KW in terms of online solutions-marketing, branding, value, automation systems, technology training and development. Oh the places we will go!

So, as I start this groovy journey to technological enlightenment, I thought I would share with you photos of where this story begins...MY OFFICE, voila!

So friendly AND funny, front desk staff members, Julie & Joe!

Now, it's time to get to WORK!