Date Archives: March 2021

Click Here to Read More...

You may have a secret identity as a mild-mannered real estate pro. When it comes to connecting with the people who can move your practice forward, however, you turn into a superhero — whether you know it or not!

Everyone brings their own skills and perspective to the field of real estate. It's no surprise, then, that everyone has a different grab bag of real estate competencies they pick up faster or enjoy the most. Experimenting with different techniques is essential for discovering your own marketing superpower.

It wasn't that long ago when everyone in real estate was expected to be a rollicking extrovert. Marketing in real estate was synonymous with in-person events: everything from open houses to business networking to town hall meetings. Being seen as frequently as possible was a principal goal.

Certain types of face-to-face events are still extremely powerful. But agents and brokers are now equipped with a wide range of options that allow them to think differently about marketing and their place in it. Specifically:

• Agents can connect with prospects and leads in a fast-growing variety of ways online.
• Identifying and following up with leads most likely to become clients is easier than ever.
• Digital marketing automation saves time and energy while maintaining quality relationships.

No matter what you recognize as your superpower, it's okay to lead with your strengths. Some real estate experts sell a huge portion of their listings through social media. Others are energized by open houses or virtual tours. With the right technology, you can multiply your efforts while staying focused on your core interests.

Here are some superpowers that turn ordinary real estate agents into extraordinary Men and Women of Steel:

• Social Media
  Social media is one of the most versatile tools superheroes can keep in their utility belt. Each network has its own uses. Facebook is one of the best choices for maintaining ties with your former clients. Instagram is the place for your most captivating real estate photos. LinkedIn appeals to the luxury market, and Twitter is great for prospecting. Facebook Connector and LinkedIn Connector make social media automation a snap.
  
  
• Virtual Tours
  Once in-person home tours make a comeback, virtual tours will still be here to stay. Buyers love virtual tours because they can see more properties within a shorter timeframe. Since they don't need to travel, they can extend their search radius. Sellers, on the other hand, appreciate having eyes on their property without having to stress over in-person showings. Properties in Motion is an integrated video platform that eliminates the guesswork.
  
  
• Email Marketing
  When you meet a real estate prospect, what happens next? It may be weeks or months before someone decides to jump in and start looking for a home. Email marketing keeps the relationship strong no matter how long it takes. Helpful, informative content directed to your ideal clients — whether buyers or sellers, Millennials or Baby Boomers — positions you as an expert. Automated email drip campaigns are simple through DeltaNET 6.
  
  
• Real Estate Blogging
  You don't need to get bitten by a radioactive critter to become the best real estate blogger in town — and this is a unique superpower because it will make all your other ones work better. Blogging turns your real estate website into a lead magnet, giving you the amazing ability to draw your ideal clients directly to you. The more you blog, the more likely you will appear prominently in searches related to your business.

Contact us at Delta Media Group to learn how DeltaNET takes your superpowers to the next level.

The concept of this article began in July 2020. At the time, I wanted to craft a story that could convey the role that cycling played in the development of DeltaNET™ 

But before I get into sharing the story of cycling as it relates to DeltaNET™ 6, I want to share more about my love for the sport of cycling; or simply riding a bike. It all started in 1979 when I was seven years old.

To this day, I have clear memories of going with my dad to buy my first bike. I had my heart set on getting a Redline BMX racing bike in chrome with red lettering and red accents. Unfortunately, a new Redline BMX bike was too expensive, so I had to settle for a dark purple metallic no-name used BMX bike that fit the budget. That day was the beginning of what turned into a love of riding bikes that has lasted my lifetime.

With my new dark purple metallic BMX bike, I found what I considered to be freedom. It seemed like the two wheels of that bike could take a seven-year-old boy anywhere he wanted to go. Looking back, some of the memories seem crazy. The following year after getting the bike, my family moved out of the city and into the country. Whenever I found myself with an extra twenty cents to buy baseball cards, I would jump on my bike and pedal the three-mile round trip to the nearest country store that sold baseball cards. To a kid, it was two-wheel freedom!

Fast-forward forty-two years to today, and I still love cycling. It is not uncommon for me, at least in a non-COVID non-lockdown time, to take trips to California or Colorado and ride 800-plus miles in one week with a group of friends from around the country. I love it so much, and I'm so competitive that I even got into racing!

This love of cycling and racing, as well as my love of technology, drove me to design a new bike with Trek Bikes during the COVID-19 lockdown last year.

You see, it was in 2020 that I fully realized how much tech-related work I did while I was riding my bike. On an average week, I typically ride my bike for about eight hours, and during at least half of that time, I think about work. Especially about technology.

As I was thinking more and more about this connection between my love of cycling and my love of technology, I realized that the majority of how DeltaNET™ 6 works was either born, or mentally developed, while I was riding my bike. So, I wanted to connect the two.

The pictures you see interwoven with this article are the result of months of work collaborating with the talented people at Trek Bicycle Corporation. I wanted to create a bike that I could love riding and one that represents who I am from a tech perspective.

Many of the concepts that hold true for my love of cycling also hold true for the growth and success of Delta Media Group® and DeltaNET™ 6. Consider the following phrases…

Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Right is painted on the top of the bike frame directly behind the handlebars. It is this mindset that has brought me success in business and on the bike. But it isn't always easy to follow. At times it is easy to cut corners, to push at 90% instead of 100%. Real success requires 100% all the time.

Always Find a Way is painted on the top of the handlebar so that I can read it while I am riding the bike. So, this is a reminder for me! If you are a current client of Delta Media Group®, you most likely know that this is a thought that drives the entire Delta Media Group team. It is also a thought that has brought me success in racing bicycles. It isn't always the fittest person or the best product that wins. What wins, who wins, is the one that wants it more than anyone else and is good enough to get it done. To me, this is a drive to always find a way even in losing because, in losing, you always find a way to improve so next time you don't lose!

Sacrifices Today for Rewards Tomorrow is painted on the seat tube. Success doesn't come easy in athletics or business. To have success in either one, sacrifices are necessary. At Delta, our path to the "reward" of DeltaNET™ 6 has taken twenty-eight years, and I personally have been driving Delta down this path for the past twenty years. Those sacrifices have been well worth it, but I need to be reminded all the time because races are not won on race day; they are won by all the countless hours of sacrifice made in the weeks, months, and years prior.

To wrap-up my article, I want to ask you a question: To what, or who, do you attribute your success?

My love of cycling is only one aspect of the success of DeltaNET™ 6 and Delta Media Group®. I think it is a tangible aspect that you may relate to, somehow, in your own way. What I would encourage you to do, if you have not done so yet, is find something tangible that you do outside of your business that contributes to your success in business.

For more than a year, the world has awaited the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Thanks to the hard work of so many scientists and healthcare experts, not to mention an enormous logistical undertaking involving Americans from coast to coast, vaccination is finally materializing.

There are now two COVID-19 vaccines in wide use throughout the country, with a third entering circulation. More than 13% of all Americans have been vaccinated, with vaccination rates in some states reaching a third or more. While there are no doubt challenges still ahead, it looks like the worst is behind us.

The real estate industry was one of the first to begin responding to the pandemic. One could argue it changed the fastest, and perhaps even the most: to keep the industry from foundering, it was necessary to move it virtually in a matter of weeks, adjusting to public health guidance as researchers uncovered more data.

So, it's reasonable to wonder "what's next?"

Even as restrictions fade and more employees return to the office, it's unlikely things will return to how they were. New tools, new ideas, and even whole new business models arose from the pandemic. While some people will be glad to return to what they knew, old ways are by no means set in stone.

No one can predict the future, of course, but certain trends are already coming into view.

Here's what real estate professionals should prepare for as widespread vaccination continues:

• Home Values Continue to Increase
  At first, it wasn't clear what effect the pandemic would have on home prices. In most areas, prices remained steady or continued to climb, reflecting the fact that people need homes no matter what else is happening. As the economy rebounds, values are likely to hold an upward trajectory.
  
  
• Interest Rates Begin Rising, Too
  After reaching historic lows in the midst of the pandemic, interest rates are sure to increase as soon as it seems safe to do so without inviting inflation. This will tighten the market from the buyer side, forcing many buyers to keep a closer eye on their budget than they've needed to over the last few quarters.
  
  
• Goodbye to Low Housing Stock
  Sellers' behavior drove some of the biggest changes of 2020. Many sellers avoided crowds in their homes, so virtual tours took off like a rocket. Now, things are about to change again. Brace yourself for the clash between more active, motivated sellers and fewer qualified buyers!
  
  
• New Construction Rebounds (Eventually)
  Demand for new construction is also poised to take off due to pent-up demand meeting the economic recovery. However, it may take longer than industry-watchers would like. Builders often rely on a large and diverse contingent workforce, and it will take time for vaccination coverage to reach the majority of employees.
  
  
• Fewer Conventional Offices, More Automation
  Real estate has always been a nimble industry. Now, agents are learning even face-to-face client interaction is not always a "make or break" part of business. Remote teams have learned to collaborate effectively, and few miss their commute. The right technology will continue to save time and make a distributed staff model work.

To flourish, real estate agents will need to continue doing what they do best — adapting and adjusting to change. To learn about how digital marketing automation fits into your post-pandemic strategy, contact us today.

Growth is a good thing. The platform you want to be running your business on is the one that is regularly growing and evolving better to suit the market and the needs of its users. After all, real estate is a competitive game, so it's important to have the best tools to give you a leg up on the competition.

Growth isn't always easy, though. With new functionality comes new things to learn, and we all have limited time. I don't have any big secrets that will take away all the challenges out of staying up to date on a platform that is always growing, but I do have a few suggestions that I hope will make your life a little easier when it comes to running your business on one.

Just like your old high school basketball coach used to say, focus on the fundamentals. Ok, I've never had a basketball coach, but you get the idea. There are certain fundamentals that need to remain the same for a feature or function to be what it is. For example, an email campaign system is built around creating a series of emails, setting a date for those emails to go out, and then defining the customers to which those emails will be sent. Whatever else it does, it will always do those things. If it didn't, it would be something entirely different. Therefore, when learning or training on the Campaigns and Action Plans system in the DeltaNET™, make that your focus. Then, regardless of what else is added to it, you'll always be able to use it for its core function.

Also, as we add things, you'll only be learning how those things relate to that core function. You don't need to relearn the whole thing from scratch simply because you can now use it to send a text message instead of an email. You just need to learn that a single deviation in the process you were already familiar with will result in a text message being sent instead of an email. This same concept works for just about everything in the DeltaNET™.

Our Social Connector functionality would be another excellent example of this. We're constantly making improvements to that system. Trust me, I'm the one remaking the training videos each time. However, every change has just been built onto the core functionality of that system. Fundamentally, you connect this system to your social media account; it watches for some event to take place, then it creates a post on your social media page about that event. For example, if you link up your Facebook page and turn the "new listing" posts on, the system will post it to your Facebook page every time you get a new listing. Every other part of it is some extension of that — either posting to different social media platforms or settings related to how often it posts, what the post looks like, what kind of events will trigger it. As long as you keep the fundamentals in mind, every addition becomes much easier to follow.

Next, keep in mind that not every update is something that requires new training. When we update existing functionality in the DeltaNET™, we're always doing our best to add it in a way that makes the system easier to use, not harder. For example, adding a new customer to the system used to involve a "wizard" that required around eight steps to complete. We changed that to make it a single, intuitive step that was kicked off by the same Add Customer button. There was no training required there. It was as if we changed it to be what it always should have been, and, in doing so, we saw that users took to it without any new instruction whatsoever.

Another thing that I find makes it easier to work with a growing platform is staying up to date with the changes. This is especially important for new functionality. You can work through and adopt updates to the existing functionality with the concepts we've been over, but when it comes to new stuff, the best thing you can do is stay on top of it. It's easy to get a notification on some new features and file it away for later, but you don't want to let them build up on you. Usually, it only takes a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the new functionality because, as I mentioned earlier, we do our best to make it easy to use.

Nevertheless, if you let a dozen new features build up on you and then try to learn them all at once, it's a much more daunting task. The biggest problem here is that you either find yourself frustrated by all you need to learn or find yourself not using the new functionality. You certainly don't want to be left in the dark on some functionality that can simplify running your business. It might seem like more work upfront to go over each new thing as it's released, but you'll thank yourself in the long run.

In my typical fashion, I've left the most important advice for last. You need to do your best not to get frustrated. In general, technology seems to have this unique way of frustrating people like nothing else I've ever seen. I don't know if it's because the machine really does seem to have a mind of its own (I promise that it doesn't. At least not yet.), or that we know, deep down, it's generally our fault that it's not doing what we expect it to, but the fact remains. Computers drive people crazy. When the machine isn't cooperating, whether it be the DeltaNET™, your new iPhone, or your car stereo, take a moment to take a deep breath and remind yourself that the machine doesn't hate you. Even if it is a little temperamental. Also, at least at far as the DeltaNET™ is concerned, remember that we're here to help you. I'm not sure we can help you with your car stereo, though. You might need to check with the dealer on that one. 

Click Here to Read More...

The most successful real estate agents are always looking for ways to evolve, improve their craft, help their fellow team members, and advance their own careers. Those qualities make some top-performing agents ideal candidates for leadership roles, and placing the right agents in the right positions is crucial for overall agent retention.

Leaders will feel more valued and fulfilled when working in roles that allow them to grow their careers, while promising new agents are more likely to stick around when they have trusted mentors on the team. Prioritizing agent leadership and retention are two of the biggest components in any real estate team's long-term success.

Growing Agent Leadership & Retention

• Why Agent Retention Should Always Be a Top Priority
  According to the National Association of REALTORS®, the average tenure for agents at their current firm is four years. Naturally, you want your best agents to work with you for much longer than that, not only because their skills benefit your team but because the cost of replacing an agent is incredibly steep. The financial cost of training, onboarding, and equipping a new agent is significant, with no guarantee that the fresh hire will be a perfect fit for your brand or culture. Team morale can be negatively impacted by the departure of experienced agents as well, and new leaders will have to fill the void. Retaining your best agents has so many benefits, starting with avoiding the challenges that come with trying to replace them.
• How to Identify Agents with Leadership Potential
  The best leaders are always looking for the next challenge. They want to learn, grow, adapt, improve, advance, and use their own experiences to help other agents who are following in their footsteps. These agents are often team players who will unofficially take on leadership roles before receiving any type of official recognition. They will help new agents learn the business and deal with the unique emotional challenges that can come with launching a real estate career. Their door will always be open when someone needs to talk, and other team members will often turn to them for advice. An agent who is a patient, knowledgeable, and personable team player will usually have the tools necessary to take on a leadership role.
• Not Every Top Performer Will Be a Leadership Fit
  Let's be honest; being a top performer, on its own, doesn't necessarily qualify an agent to be a leader. Someone who's great at selling homes won't always be similarly skilled at leading other team members, and not every top performer will be interested in taking on the added responsibilities that come with being a leader. And that's okay! Those agents can still be valuable team members as long as they get along with the rest of the team while setting a positive example through their performance. Even if they don't take active leadership positions, there are plenty of ways for them to positively affect the day-to-day business. The most important thing is finding the right role for everyone and allowing them to thrive in it.
• Leadership Roles and Retaining Your Best Agents
  The best leaders are often the agents looking to get more out of their careers than just a healthy paycheck. These individuals succeed in real estate because their skills as an agent are topnotch, and they're confident that those skills will help them excel no matter what market they're working in. They seek a level of professional fulfillment that goes beyond dollars and cents, which is why a leadership role can be a perfect way to retain them for the long haul. Leading other agents helps to provide that fulfillment while opening up unique paths for career advancement.
• How the Right Leaders Can Help Retain and Grow New Agents
  Starting fresh and becoming a successful real estate agent is not easy, but it's also a path that many individuals have already walked. Use that experience to your benefit and to help everyone on your team. Whether it's a new agent trying to learn the ropes or a more experienced agent who has hit a rough patch, having a trusted, team-focused mentor is crucial to finding success. A leader does more than help other agents sell homes. They also help with all of the complexities that come with pursuing a real estate career. Their knowledge allows them to put challenges in perspective while providing real, proven solutions to help team members succeed. Add it all up, and it's no surprise that the most successful, cohesive real estate teams rely on great leaders.

Why Leadership, Team Building, and Agent Retention Go Hand-in-Hand

Think about a time in your own career when you may have felt a little lost, were unsure of what to do next, or simply needed some encouragement from a trusted source. It's often in those small, personal moments that the best leaders genuinely shine. Leadership can be as simple as providing some encouraging words to someone who's going through a challenging time or an open ear to help someone vent their frustrations. It can also be as complicated as assisting a team member in identifying an underlying issue that's impacting their performance and helping them create a detailed plan for how to overcome it.

At some point in their career, every agent will face challenges that are difficult to deal with alone. In some cases, those challenges will be make-or-break moments where the agent is thinking about possibly moving on to a new firm or even pursuing a new career altogether. A skilled leader has the wherewithal to deal with those obstacles and knows how to approach other agents in a way that gets through to each unique personality. They are the glue that holds any successful team together, and playing that role gives them the fulfillment they need to be satisfied with their own career.

In other words, leadership is ultimately a symbiotic relationship, which helps with agent retention in multiple ways. Of course, new or less experienced agents benefit by having a leader they can rely upon, but the leader also benefits by having team members who count on them for help. As newer agents grow their skills and accumulate experience, they can look forward to taking on their own leadership roles. When the whole team is working toward the same goals, the workplace environment is positive, leading to a strong team and making it that much easier to retain every member of the team.

How Will Your Leaders Shape Your Real Estate Team?

Finding leaders isn't always easy, but it's more than worth the effort. Every agent is unique, just like every team is unique. Leaders help to set the standard for the culture of your team and can elevate those around them. Some leaders are naturally skilled at the role, while others grow into it over the course of their careers. By identifying the right people and encouraging them to take on more active leadership roles, you're ultimately shaping the future of your real estate team. And with the right people in place, that future will be looking bright for years to come.

What's moving your business forward?

In the old days, there was virtually no way to know. Real estate agents relied almost exclusively on face-to-face contact, attending events in the community, and handing out business cards or fridge magnets. After that initial conversation, it could be months before they heard from a prospect again — if ever.

Today, we have the benefit of a wealth of data and plenty of ways to use it.

Every time someone visits your website, they generate a vast treasure trove of useful information. Each session tells you where someone first found your website and what they did once they got there. That includes every page they looked at and how long they spent at each step in the journey.

Once you master your data, you can consistently improve your website, making it a better experience for all your visitors. Improvements of 2%-3% a month gradually turn into competitive advantages in your local market. But where do you start the process of becoming fluent with your data?

When your digital marketing is handled through an all-in-one, AI-driven solution like DeltaNET 6, you'll enjoy an amazingly granular view of your data. Still, it takes time to see how it all fits together. Here are some pieces of the puzzle you'll want to get familiar with first:

• Total Website Visits
  Also known as "traffic," total website visits are the ultimate metric for the top of your marketing funnel. More visits mean more leads, so getting initial traffic to your site will be your focus in the early stages of your practice. Ideally, you should see some growth in your website visits with every passing month. Dig deeper into the trend to find out what your major traffic sources are: Google search, social media, referrals from other websites?
  
  
• Visitor-to-Lead Conversion Rate
  Unless visitors turn into leads, traffic is sheer overhead. There may be several different "conversion events" on any website, but most real estate agents build their funnel so that visitors who sign up for a weekly email are considered leads. Leads can also be people who express interest in one of your listings or signed up for an open house. Optimizing your conversion rate moves people closer to a transaction that much faster.
  
  
• Cost Per Lead
  Almost all marketing activities will cost money. After all, even the simplest flier isn't free to print. With Cost Per Lead, you connect your marketing investment with results in the form of a crucial question: "If I spend X on my real estate marketing, how many leads will I generate?" In general, Cost Per Lead will go down as you launch more inbound marketing initiatives that pay long-term dividends, such as SEO and blogging.

Continuous Monitoring Helps You Turn Data into Actionable Insights

New data is generated every day, but that doesn't mean it always has new things to tell you. Get into the habit of putting aside one or two days at the same time each month to do a deep dive into fresh data. That's long enough to see which way trends are pointing, short enough to tie causes to effects.

With DeltaNET 6, key digital marketing features like search engine optimization and social media marketing are built right in, ready for you to customize or automate as you see fit. You can even automate entire Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns with AdWizard. ROI on all your initiatives is easier to measure than ever.

Managing your data has a learning curve, but it equips you to supercharge your real estate marketing. To find out more, contact us.

Real estate is one of the most popular second careers in the United States.

Agents come from all sorts of backgrounds and from all over the country. From homemakers to retirees, tradespeople to executives, each person brings a fresh perspective to the industry. Along with a growing number of college students graduating from real estate business programs, all of these various viewpoints and personalities help shape the future of buying and selling homes.

What one thing unites them all, more than anything else? They want to succeed – and no matter when they begin their career, they're in it for the long haul.

Many people spend their first two years in real estate getting their footing and discovering the ins and outs of the trade:

• Learning fundamental real estate skills and discovering what appeals to them
• Seeking out warm leads among their family, friends, and business associates
• Executing on those crucial first transactions and cultivating a referral network

There are few things more satisfying than reaching closing day on your first home. It is a truly transformative experience for many newcomers: The day they can see that they have truly made a difference in a client's life.

But how you get started isn't always how you should continue.

It's easy to fall into the trap of doing what's worked before for as long as you can. Unfortunately, it's impossible to grow or scale your business without stretching to try new things. If you stay in "referral mode," your profit will always be limited by the hours in the day. And if you push yourself to work too much, you could crash.

Instead, real estate agents who have cleared those first few hurdles should take time to plant seeds and find that perfect balance.

The Goals You Pursue Today Are Your Seeds for a More Prosperous Tomorrow

The most precious resource is time. Few things make that more obvious than a handful of weeks spent working 10-hour days!

When you set and commit to goals, you are designing your future in important ways:

• You determine the highest-value ways to use your skills, money, and time in the long run
• You go from having a job to owning a business that can help you live the life you desire
• By growing on the way to your goals, you are more resilient when circumstances change

Even goals we don't reach can teach us things we will use in the future — because the purpose of setting a goal is to clarify where you're headed and move in the right direction consistently. It's that second part – consistency – that brings so much challenge, even for high-performing people who accomplish much in many areas of life.

Big goals can seem very far away. In many cases, your progress toward them is opaque. So, how does anyone – in real estate or otherwise – stay the course on those big goals? Odds are good you set a few goals of your own in January.

Here's how to stick to them and excel:

• Recognize the Limits of Your "Goal Bandwidth"
Goals are critical to being proactive and intentional. But whether you're working solo or you have a team of ten, time and attention set hard limits on goals. From individuals to agencies, most people have room for two or three goals at a time. The more goals you have, the more divided your focus and the less time you can devote to each one.

• Make Your Goals Impossible to Ignore
Goals need to be externalized into the present world to have any effect. Even something as simple as having to open a specific file to review your goals is already too complicated. Just like fundraisers have those iconic "donation thermometers," you need physical reminders of your plans, so your thoughts return to them regularly.

• Break Goals into Smaller, More Attainable Pieces
The bigger a goal is, the easier it is to feel out of reach. Anyone who has ever tried to lose 30 pounds or more knows this feeling. The solution? Break goals down into individual steps, then look at that immediate next step and dice it down even further until you understand precisely what you need to do next.

• Document Those Small Pieces Wherever Possible
Say you discover that one goal has four major steps, and the first of those steps has six little pieces. The odds of you remembering all of them at any given time are nil – they exceed working memory all on their own. Once you figure out your steps, write them down. This will also help you uncover gaps where more research or planning is needed.

• Make Time to Review Your Goals
As you take those small steps, you are making progress. But that progress is often hard to see, let alone be excited by. Goal reviews should happen at least monthly, for two reasons. One, they ensure you are still doing the things you need to do. Two, they put your progress since the last check-in into context, boosting morale.

• Find Ways to Leverage Accountability
Research shows people are much more likely to complete a fitness program if they enter it with a friend and stick together. So, too, with real estate goals. Peer accountability works and avoids the de-motivation traps that top-down accountability to a boss can cause. Accountability to a mentor can also be highly effective.

• Implement the Tools You Need to Reach Your Goals
As you center your goals, you will find more opportunities to update and upgrade your workflows. You might find, for example, that you can save half an hour a day by using a Customer Relationship Management suite to stay aware of what your contacts are doing. Look at the long-term cost-benefit of tools as you decide.

• Eliminate Distractions from Your Day
The bird's-eye view keeps you on the right track, but goals aren't attained at 30,000 feet: They involve daily effort down in the trenches. One of the best ways to rack up those hours is to cut distractions. Start with your mobile device: It should be on mute and notification-free for defined periods of the day while you do deep work.

• Use the Eisenhower Matrix to Guide Daily Priorities
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the Allied invasion of Normandy, used a single tool to optimize his limited time and attention. This four-quadrant matrix immediately clarifies the relevance of any work task:
Urgent and Important: These tasks are top priority and should be done right away
Urgent, Not Important: These tasks should be delegated if they cannot be eliminated Important, Not Urgent: Time must be set aside for these long-term growth tasks Not Important, Not Urgent: These tasks can be cut out of one's work-time schedule

• Dedicate Your First Hour to Your Highest Priority
Goals Invest the first hour of work (after your morning routine) to the most vital task that will bring your goals closer. This hour should be ruthlessly distraction-free, which is why it helps to do it early: FOMO is often high among real estate agents, who know they must respond to leads in minutes, but always put first things first.

Goals become goals because they won't materialize in the normal course of doing business – or if they do, it will take ten times longer than with focused, intentional effort. Using these techniques, you can drive toward your goals more consistently, honor the value of your time and energy, and still get the rest you need.

Click Here to Read More...

Social media can be an excellent source of leads and allows you to connect with your audience on a level that simply isn't possible with other formats. But the competition for attention is fierce, so creating a reliable social lead-generation pipeline takes effort. The good news is that the results are more than worth it.

Authenticity and consistency are the keys to social media success, which means that you'll need to show more of your personality than you might with other marketing tools. The payoff is that showing your personality will help you build real, lasting connections with your clients and earn their business long-term. So, let's take a closer look at some social strategies that will help you expand your audience, build connections, generate leads, and maybe even have some fun in the process!

Personalizing Your Connection With Clients

Build Your Online Presence So You Can Build Connections
Creating personalized connections is so much simpler when it's easy for clients and prospects to find you online. Your real estate website is the perfect place to start because that's where you'll be posting so much of the content that you share elsewhere and where shoppers can find all of your listings. Of course, your online marketing and SEO will help drive traffic to your website, which in turn means more traffic for your social pages. Once you build those connections, you'll want email marketing to stay in touch and a quality CRM to help you keep everything organized. A robust online presence is key to maximizing your social media returns, and your social activity will be an essential component that helps tie your whole online presence together.

Don't Be Afraid to Show Your Personality
If a client or prospect wants to follow bland, cookie-cutter real estate social media accounts, they can find countless examples on any social media platform. But if you're going to truly personalize your connections, then you'll need to separate yourself from the rest of the online pack. Whether that means giving people a peek behind the curtain at what it's like to work in real estate, sharing your hobbies, discussing your experience with buying/ selling your own home, talking about your favorite local attractions, or even a little bit of everything, letting clients get to know you will help build lasting connections. As long as you avoid politics and other divisive topics, there will be plenty of room to let your personality shine in a productive way.

Always Be Friendly
This may seem like overly simple advice, but we've all seen examples of what can happen when people are rude on social media. So, when in doubt, always be friendly, look for positive ways to engage, avoid confrontation, and follow the golden rule. You can't go wrong by being kind, and your audience will definitely take notice of your positive attitude.

Keep Your Content Creation Strategy Fresh
While clients who are shopping for homes will often be interested in seeing posts with your latest listings, building lasting connections requires you to diversify your content strategy. That's true when it comes to both subject matter and format. Touch on a variety of real estate topics, and mix in the type of personality-driven content that we mentioned above. Share content in multiple formats, like blog posts, video content, status updates, images, and real estate news. Experiment with different content types to identify what your audience is most interested in seeing

Always Check the Comments on Your Posts and Engage
A steady supply of fresh, interesting content is a great start, but your job isn't done when you press the "post" button. Some of your best connections can be built by finding common ground, engaging thoughtfully in the comments on your posts, and making your own comments on the social posts of others. Answering questions is a powerful way to build connections, both through your content and your more direct interactions with your audience.

Join Groups to Expand Your Reach and Create Connections
Most social media platforms offer a way to join groups with people who share similar interests, hobbies, locations, and backgrounds. Especially on Facebook and LinkedIn, joining groups is a great way to create new connections. Just remember that most groups discourage members from posting advertisements. Instead, be authentic, be yourself, engage, and find the right moment to let new connections know what you do for a living. Once group members know more about you, they'll feel more comfortable asking for your help with real estate matters.

Why Video Content Helps Personalize Connections
Video content has become more popular than ever before in the last year, and getting in front of the camera helps build relationships in multiple ways. These days, many clients will be shopping for their next home from the comfort of their current one, so virtual tours and virtual open houses are great tools to reach buyers. But there's no need to stop there! Creating video content with real estate advice, Q&A sessions, neighborhood guides, or visits to local attractions can really help your personality shine. Video content also has the important benefit of helping clients put a face to your real estate brand.

Showcase Your Connection with Your Communities
Whether you're creating content or engaging with your audience more directly, showing how much you love the communities where you live and do business is sure to help build connections. It enables you to find that all-important common ground with clients who already live in those places and is a great way to encourage shoppers from outside the area to consider homes in those communities. Show your community connections by highlighting local attractions, discussing the perks of different neighborhoods, sharing experiences from community events, and showing how you make a positive difference in the community. In addition to building connections, your communities should also be an excellent source for content ideas.

Set a Social Schedule and Stick to It
No matter how you choose to personalize your connection with clients, even the best strategy won't bear fruit unless you're willing to stick with it. Setting a social schedule is crucial to success because building real connections takes time. There's plenty of room to be flexible, so the real key is simply to block out time each day for posting, engaging with your audience, and creating new content for social. When you have some extra time in your schedule, use it to create content that you can schedule to post later. It may take a little while to figure out exactly how to invest your social time most efficiently, but that's okay! Every agent is unique, and you'll find the right mix for your needs as long as you keep making an effort.

The more comfortable you get with building connections on social media, the easier the whole process will become. Remember that while there are plenty of general tips to follow, there's no one right way to show your personality and create connections. Don't be afraid to get creative with your content ideas, and evolve as you learn what your audience likes most. Stick with it, and you'll be rewarded with a steady, reliable source of very well-qualified leads.

Digital technology is the ticket to accelerating the sales process. That's especially vital today, as pandemic-related uncertainty continues to shape the behaviors of both buyers and sellers. The right technology means fewer steps must be completed in person, helping everybody to move forward with confidence.

A faster closing leads to better results for sellers, protecting their property from languishing on the market. To hasten this complex process without sacrificing quality, agents must integrate forward-looking technology at every step. A seamless, all-in-one approach to home marketing is essential. For modern real estate agents, that means fully embracing digital.

Let's look at some of the most important pieces in today's real estate technology puzzle:

• Excellent Photography Using Professional Equipment
  If you have been using your smartphone for real estate photography, it's time for an upgrade. While a quick snap may be suitable for your blog or social media, your listing photography must be the best of the best. Each year, more of the most desirable markets are going all-pro when it comes to visuals. Today's buyers expect photos of every room in the home, and it doesn't hurt to have several sets at different times of the day.
  
  
• Searchable Maps
  Buyers know that they are not just choosing a home, they are moving into a community. With that in mind, you should make it easy for them to explore. An embedded Google Map in your listing is a simple way to give them a sense of what's nearby. With Google, they can even zoom down to the Street View level to examine other properties, schools, and amenities around the neighborhood.
  
  
• Interactive Floor Plans
  Interactive floor plans allow you to take a close look at a home in several different ways. You can observe it top-down or perform a complete walk-through using a panoramic view created with multiple photos of each room. They are surprisingly easy to set up and will give you a better sense of which visitors to your listing are truly interested in a home: the more time spent on the walk-through, the better.
  
  
• Video Tours
  To thrive, real estate agents need to get more comfortable both in front of and behind the camera. Virtual tours are here to stay — they're convenient, informative, and allow buyers to expand the radius of their home search without having to attend a lot of face-to-face events. Video tour attendees love the chance to ask questions as they go, and tours can also be archived for later review. Properties in Motion helps you do it all.
  
  
• E-Signature
  It was not that long ago when closing day was an hours-long marathon session that often meant cramming into a small room and reviewing dozens of documents. Nothing can replace the feeling of finally having keys in hand, but buyers and sellers alike want alternatives to all the rest. E-signature services greatly reduce the number of papers that need to be signed by hand, often cutting down the time for a "drive-through closing" to minutes.
  
  
• Social Media
  Social media has the potential to be more powerful for real estate agents than any other profession. People love to share the listings they enjoy with their friends and families, particularly on Facebook. Some firms have estimated that they sell as much as 25% of their inventory through Facebook. DeltaNet 6 customers can enjoy automated social posting through Facebook Connector and LinkedIn Connector.

To expedite the home sale process while delivering superior customer care, more agents are adopting DeltaNet 6, an AI-driven center of excellence for all their digital real estate marketing. To learn more, contact us today.

April is the heart of spring, the time of rebirth and growth – and wow, could we all use it!

For many, 2020 was one of the most challenging years of their lives. Personally and professionally, people all over the world have been under pressure in ways that would have been impossible to imagine just 12 short months ago.

In the midst of all that chaos and uncertainty, real estate also changed in countless ways. Some of these changes represented trends that were already in motion, but several of them were brand-new adaptations that forced us all to expect the unexpected.

It is impossible to know just how much of the working world we left behind in early 2020 has changed forever. And while there may be more challenges ahead this year, it is finally possible to look toward the future with optimism, if not relief, and start thinking about what comes next.

Now is the time to check in with yourself and your business as you prepare to take the next step forward.

Real Estate Agents Should Embrace a Growth Mindset in 2021

Do you feel like 2020 was lost time? Even if you spent most of the year treading water, now is your best chance to return to a growth-oriented mindset. That starts with an internal locus of control – the belief that you have the greatest influence over what happens in your life, no matter what external circumstances arise.

Over the long term, the most successful real estate professionals have an internal locus of control or develop one fast. They are always looking for opportunities to do and achieve more.

In 2020, serious health concerns and essential restrictions on travel slowed down even the most diligent among us. But now, as the leaves spring from the trees, it's time for the next era of growth in the real estate industry to make itself known. Using the lessons you've learned, you can redefine 2021 as a year of new opportunities.

Ask yourself:

• What goals did you put on hold in 2020 that are still relevant to you in 2021?
• What skills, talents, connections, and abilities make you different from others?
• What new resources, tools, or knowledge would help you truly excel in 2021?
• If you could be known for one thing professionally in 2021, what would it be?

Everyone will have different answers to these questions, but they are valuable starting points for thinking meaningfully about the direction you want to take this year. Forethought and planning can make all the difference between building a real estate practice versus just having another nine-to-five job.

Yes, life happens, and plans adapt. But by strategizing now, you have an internal GPS to keep you on track later.

Ten Ways to Power Your Business and Unlock Opportunities for Growth in 2021

Success in anything starts with getting the fundamentals right. For example, real estate agents all over the country can think back to setting up their own home office, whether it was decades past or just a few months ago. Being comfortable in your own space is key to building a strong work foundation.

Once the basics are in order, it's important to review them once in a while and make sure they're still apt. Virtually no top-producing real estate agent is still using Post-Its to track deals in the age of CRM!

When you're pleased with your workflows, the next step is discovering what you can do differently or better to stand out in your local market. The savviest and most successful agents renew their ability to grow by performing this cycle again and again: Expanding the value they add, then optimizing their day-to-day delivery. 

Here are ten suggestions to balance both sides and achieve sustainable growth:

1. Connect with Your Network the Safe Way
   Agents often love face-to-face communication. But have you kept up with your circle in the new world of Zoom? From prospective clients to friends and family, everyone in the community may eventually need an expert like you. Take time to check-in and deepen relationships, even if a transaction is nowhere in sight.
2. Get Comfortable in Front of the Camera
   One unintended consequence of video-conferencing: Hours spent facing your own digital reflection. While this has been off-putting for some, real estate pros should embrace it. Video marketing is an essential piece of the outreach puzzle, and virtual tours are here to stay. Get used to working both behind and in front of a camera.
3. Commit (or Return) to Email Marketing
   Email marketing is a powerful way to nurture long-term relationships. Over the weeks or months it may take a contact to jump into the market, you'll be there providing helpful and informative content. If you haven't done so lately, make an effort to update your subscribers once a week. This keeps you "top of mind," no matter what else is going on in their lives.
4. Find One Social Platform That's Right for You
   Each social media platform has its uses in real estate. Try to use them all, though, and it can siphon away hours a day. Plus, it often won't deliver the results of a deep dive. Pick one social media platform this year and stick with it. Instagram is popular for lavish real estate photography, while LinkedIn offers ways to find luxury buyers.
5. Demonstrate Your Expertise with Blogs
   Brokers and agents who remain consistent with their marketing will find it easier to benefit as the economy rebounds. One key habit to get into is blogging. Blogging delivers concrete evidence of your expertise that can be useful to readers at any stage of their real estate journey. It also raises your search engine visibility.
6. Befriend Your CRM Suite
   Customer Relationship Management is software for securing top-level visibility over all your contacts. You will know precisely who you know, how you met, and where each person stands in a transaction. This can save you many hours of data input and makes it easier to pinpoint the best times to follow up.
7. Use Automation Whenever Possible
   Automation is expanding in real estate marketing. For example, your CRM can let you know if a contact's recent activity warrants a personal message. Automation is most prevalent in email marketing, where it accelerates and streamlines communication with thousands of subscribers – all without sacrificing the human touch.
8. Make Time for Mentorship
   Finding the right mentor can support your growth by giving you opportunities to "reality check" the possible solutions to your business challenges. You will also spend less time reinventing the wheel and more time moving forward. On the flip side, mentoring others helps you share and sharpen your skills.
9. Upgrade Your Workspace
   Is your workspace ergonomic? Just as many of your customers might be looking for new homes incorporating work-friendly features, you should double-check your own comfort level. Do you have sufficient lighting? A good desk? A comfortable chair? Look for ways to improve convenience in your space by 5%. Those changes can add up!
10. Seek the Right Work-Life Balance for You
    An internal locus of control can give you the drive to improve every day. However, that won't look the same for everyone. There are only so many 12-hour days you can absorb before performance suffers. Learn where your best work comes from, save time with automation, and set boundaries with clients to keep work-life balance healthy.

Over the last decade, automation has become one of the most important tools for real estate agents.

With the right software, it's possible to automate complex, multi-step tasks that once took hours to complete. For example, DeltaNET 6 customers benefit from an all-in-one real estate solution that automates social media, email drip campaigns, and much more — potentially saving thousands of hours a year.

At Delta Media Group, we've heard time and again from agents and brokers who have built their workflow on a handful of software products that work best for them. Although many of these products were not designed to work together, they now form the foundation of day-to-day operations.

These professionals want the power of DeltaNET 6, but they don't want to reinvent the wheel by replacing other software they already use. Our new partnership with Zapier provides the answer. Zapier is an integrated automation solution that enables you to use your existing software in amazing new ways.

With Zapier, All Your Apps Can Talk to Each Other Like Never Before

Zapier facilitates communication between diverse online applications, paving the way for superior compatibility. That means no more "workarounds" to get apps from different developers to work together efficiently. You can orchestrate all-new workflows where multiple applications share and act on incoming data.

Zapier's customizable workflows are called "Zaps." They perform actions based on a trigger.

Here's one common Zap:

• You receive an email in your work Gmail that includes an attachment

• In response to the trigger, Zapier tells your antivirus to scan the file

• In response to the clean scan, the file is sent to your work Dropbox

• When a new file reaches your Dropbox, Slack alerts you to its arrival

Zaps allow for forking conditions so you can create sophisticated logic without human intervention. In the Zap above, for example, it would make sense to delete the infected file if the antivirus scan turns up a problem. The sender could then be blacklisted or receive an automated response based on their identity.

Zapier takes the guesswork out of application interoperability. As a Zapier user, you become the architect of your workday. A solo agent can do the work of a whole team and a small team can compete head-to-head with the largest, most established agencies in their market. And now, it's all available from your DeltaNET 6 interface.

DeltaNET 6 Zapier Integration is Another Step Forward in Automation for Real Estate

Zapier is the conductor that makes more than 3,000 apps sing. Seamless access to all Zapier's features right in DeltaNET 6 makes it even easier than ever before. Our digital marketing experts have been working around the clock to complete the integration, one of our most requested updates of 2021.

You don't need any coding experience or exhaustive documentation to do great things with Zapier. A user-friendly point-and-click interface lets you start workflows from any application. You get immediate feedback from whatever software you use, so you know right away that your Zaps work as expected.

Introducing Zapier is just another part of our commitment to helping you save time and stay focused on building your practice. With Zapier handling your routine tasks, you can save your energy for fostering the relationships that strengthen your brand. Plus, you can strive for the work-life balance you want without sacrificing quality.

Want to know more about Zapier and how to put its vast capabilities to work for you? We encourage you to give it a try from within the DeltaNET. To get tips and advice on using Zapier direct from the experts, just contact us today.

Click Here to Read More...

In 2009, Arthaland Corporation joined the Philippines real estate scene with a specific goal — and it's right there in the name. From the Sanskrit word "artha," denoting purpose, knowledge, significance, and wealth, Arthaland's focus isn't merely selling the country's most advanced real estate properties. Instead, Arthaland is dedicated to something a little more intangible and far more important. For over a decade, Arthaland's focus on sustainability has made them the foremost green developer in the Philippines. Every project is built around that same ideal, mixing the most efficient technologies of the present with the hope of a better and brighter future. It's a mindset that's helped Arthaland become one of the most innovative companies, not only in the Philippines or among Delta Media Group's wide-ranging customer base but also throughout the world.

With plenty of press attention over the last few years, including a recent spotlight in the BBC Storyworks' #BuildingABetter-Future series, Arthaland's approach of building more while building smarter isn't only working; it's thriving. As Jaime C. González, Vice Chairman and President/ CEO of Arthaland, says in the BBC video, "We consider that climate change is one of the most important and pressing challenges in the world today. We are putting the Philippines at the forefront of the fight against climate change. And [we are] the only real estate developer in the country with 100% certified green development portfolio." 

SETTLING INTO SUSTAINABILITY

When Arthaland first began doing business, one of the biggest obstacles was defining what, exactly, sustainability was and then, perhaps even more challenging, explaining that definition to the rest of the world. Ask one person what they believe sustainability and a green-focused mindset are, and you'll get one answer, while to someone else, it means something totally different. But now, more than ever, working with the environment has become as important to companies as laying the proper foundation. And Arthaland has been at the forefront of that.

"[People] realize the benefits of going sustainable," says Senior Vice President Oliver L. Chan. "The DNA of Arthaland is to make sure that everything we do not only helps our people but also helps our investors at the same time, and then the biggest thing is helping the environment and making sure the future generations have something to look forward to."

For Arthaland, sustainability has three main pillars.

One, of course, is the environment and the impact real estate has on it. The industry is one of the leading contributors to carbon emissions, while rapid development, urbanization, and high-energy costs all cause their own negative impacts. It's why Arthaland was motivated to build the first-ever net-zero carbon building, as recognized by the World Bank's International Finance corporation program.

People also play a large role in what Arthaland does, especially right now. Living during an international health pandemic has made sustainability more prominent than ever as people do their best to stay as healthy and well as possible. Lastly, cost affects sustainability and its perception.

"When you talk about costs, when building sustainably, people say it's more expensive, but you have to think of long-term," Chan says. "The cost becomes savings because you'll consume less energy, actually outweighing the initial cost of building a sustainable development."

With five major properties across the Philippines, Arthaland has quickly established itself as the leader of green-focused development. Arthaland is the first property developer in the country with a multi-certified commercial building, the first LEED Platinum-certified neighborhood, and the first to create a green resident condominium. At Arthaland's flagship office development, Century Pacific Tower, the company participates in the Philippines Green Building Council's Advancing Net Zero program using the building's parameters as the template for the local Net Zero energy certification. The tower's electricity is 100% supplied by an off-site renewable energy source to neutralize its operational carbon emissions, and the building reduces energy use by 45% and water consumption by 64%.

For Arthaland, sustainability is not simply an idea; it's an active practice.

GROWING GREEN

Chan has been part of Arthaland since the beginning, a licensed mechanical engineer who was previously the Property Manager of Ayala Property Management Corporation. And while he was doing well at his previous position, something about Arthaland struck him; the chance not only to improve his career but to better the world around him both now and for future generations.

"It's the impact that we can make to society," Chan explains, "but the most important thing is the core values of the company. Seeing that, let's put sustainability in the forefront, and let's try to make a difference."

He adds, "If you talk to other developers, they also say, 'We mean business by making sure that our investors get their money's worth.' Right? 'Make sure that their investment into property gets the right capital appreciation. Gets the right lease rates and yields and everything else.' But how can you honestly say that if you're not giving them sustainable development? How can you be assured that your property will last for the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years? The only way you can do that is by providing sustainable development."

It's that approach to development and Arthaland's continued success that also lends itself to growth. When looking for people to join Arthaland, Chan says finding someone who fits the culture is crucial. Not only is Arthaland looking at previous experience or where an individual went to school, but also at a person's approach to sustainability and what they can bring to future Arthaland projects.

"Do you believe in [sustainability], or is it just something that you would like to market?" Chan says. "If it's marketing, it is something everyone can do. But if you really believe in it, even if you do things at home that relate toward sustainability, then that's something that we really, I would say, embody and take into consideration when we hire people."

Bolstered by the company's collective culture, Arthaland plans to grow five times in the next five years. That means building on an already impressive property portfolio, and while it's an ambitious approach, particularly in the COVID-19 era, living and working through the pandemic has actually jump-started Arthaland's efforts.

More people than ever are working from home, looking to improve where they spend most of their time. Suddenly, they've realized that space might not be as efficient as it could be, and, for Arthaland, that's a call to action.

"Growing five times, you need to hire people, right?" Chan says. "So, we're planning to grow, including our workforce. We're also very active in the international industry when it comes to sustainability. We've done several talks and seminars about sustainability. I've gone to Atlanta, New York, and talked about sustainability as well. And efficiency increases when you're living or working in sustainable development. And that's a study shown by the World Green Building Council."

Much like Chan was when he first joined Arthaland, people's interest and enthusiasm regarding sustainability and green living grows every year. Whereas concerns over electricity usage or air quality were never given more than a passing thought in previous real-estate transactions, now those questions are as important as size, location, and cost.

"I think it's something that is here to stay, and people are now more aware," Chan says. "With that evolving, how people purchase real estate, that goes hand in hand with how Arthaland does things." 

Arthaland has done plenty, especially when it comes to making sustainable living simple for their clients. Sustainability tours are now the standard in Arthaland's buildings, as are on-site organic farms that allow residents to buy produce at cost.

"Everything is organic, and all our projects have that," Chan says. "And aside from that, we give them a tour and teach them [about sustainable practices] in their own homes."

When the pandemic began, Arthaland also hosted webinars to make spending so much time at home a bit more bearable. From gardening within the confines of an apartment to speaking with health and wellness professionals and simple yoga and Pilates instructions, it was all done with sustainability in mind.

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS

Doing business with a company on the other side of the world is always a challenge. Still, in the last few months, Arthaland and Delta Media Group® have turned communication and productivity into an art form. Since initially meeting during a conference days before lockdown began in Las Vegas last March, the partnership finds a way to work no matter what time it is. 

Prior to that March meeting, Arthaland was considering several tech vendors, but it only took a few presentations for Delta to prove its merit. Impressed by Delta's ease of use and efficiency, Arthaland quickly implemented brand-new programs and now continues to meet regularly with DMG.

"If I ask, [Delta Senior Key Accounts Consultant/Sales Manager Franklin Stoffer] and say, 'Okay, can you help us out because we don't feel that we're using Delta, [in the best way] that it can? We're not maximizing the use,'" Chan says, "They help us out. And they send us videos from time to time, tips, and tricks on how to use Delta better. I think that one is very helpful. Sometimes, I need [President Noel England], and she responds instantly. I message her at any time of the day. She responds immediately and gives me feedback."

As of this writing, Arthaland has about 120 Delta users with current usage at more than 95%, and while those aren't the biggest number in DMG's base, they've still received the sort of personalized attention that makes Delta unique. The one-on-one work has also led Arthaland to plan to grow their users to 350 in the next three to four months.

"I think as we grow, Delta will continue to be part of it," Chan says. "And we've requested some new system changes, which we feel would benefit the teams. And you know what? They're doing it. Just because they felt that it would benefit all Delta users, they proceeded with implementing it."

SOWING THE SEEDS OF THE FUTURE

Sustainability is here to stay — as are Arthurland's efforts, and in the next few years, the company plans not only to grow but to make sustainable living the norm. Arthaland hopes to bring sustainable instruction to area schools, possibly speaking a few hours to, as Chan explains, "get them aware of what sustainability is." And, after being postponed by COVID-19, a seminar project in Cebu, known as the Queen City of the Philippines, to help government engineers and architects learn how to incorporate sustainability into the master plan of the city, is also expected to get back on track.

Ultimately, Arthaland simply wants to leave the world better than they found it. Green is not only good; it's the future, and Arthaland is ready to lead the way going forward.

"Health and wellness are very important," Chan says, "and at the end of the day, it is all our responsibility to contribute a small part in making it successful. To make sustainability a part of everyone."

Social media marketing is a key part of online visibility for real estate agents, brokers, and firms.

In fact, real estate experts are among the most active professionals on social media. That may mean there's plenty of competition for an audience's limited time, but it also means many of your peers are seeing great results. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be powerful lead engines if you use them right.

The challenge to social media newcomers is twofold:

• Publishing content that captures attention and adds value for your target real estate prospects.

• Doing so in a way that doesn't require you to spend all day scrolling through your social feed.

Social media is a notorious time sink, so it's important to have clear goals and focused execution. Yes, it can be fun to spread your wings as a thought leader in your community — but it's crucial to connect those activities to concrete business results. This is what many real estate pros overlook, and that can lead to disappointment.

Luckily, social media best practices for real estate are easy to work out with a little research. Here's how to use social media to really connect:

• Include Visual Content In Your Posts
  Posts with images get 2.3x more engagement than plain text posts. No matter the subject, including a photo or illustration in each post is crucial. You don't have to become an award-winning photographer, but it is a good idea to invest in a camera (or upgrade your phone), so you can snap crisp, clear photos around your community for future posts. Of course, all real estate photos must be of the highest quality, especially for your listings.
  
  
• Embrace the Potential of Short-Form and Live Video
  Short videos of three minutes or less are extremely popular on social media. A shorter video is much more likely to be watched from start to finish, enticing algorithms to display your content more prominently. Real estate tastemakers are getting more comfortable in front of the camera, so leverage this trend to foster a genuine human connection. As you gain experience, you can progress to live streams for more interactivity.
  
  
• Promote Your Virtual Tours and Open Houses
  Are you among the legions of real estate experts from coast to coast who adopted virtual home tours during the pandemic? Buyers love virtual tours because they can see more properties with less travel, extending their search radius. You may have recorded a virtual tour for a specific group of buyers, but you can always share it on social media to inspire even more interest in a property. Properties in Motion makes the process a snap.
  
  
• Showcase Your Client Success Stories
  Reviews and testimonials are among the most valuable content on your website. They reach out to visitors and spark confidence that others "just like them" have had success working with you. You can enhance this effect by going beyond static text and photos to social media-ready videos. Video testimonials will draw more attention to your rave reviews and motivate your social followers to give your website a visit.
  
  
• Amplify Your Real Estate Blog Posts
  If you're not the kind of person who likes being on camera, your head might be spinning right about now. Fear not! Helpful, informative blog posts are still the cornerstone of a real estate social media strategy. When you publish useful blog posts, you give your social followers a peek at the kind of value you can offer them. Don't be afraid to re-share older posts, either — only a fraction of your followers will have seen them in the past.
  
  
• Highlight Awesome Local Content
  Do you have to painstakingly craft every piece of social media content you share? No! As a real estate agent, the people and causes you interact with will give you credibility. With that in mind, you have a part to play within your community by spotlighting all the terrific things that go on. You can share content about local festivals, fundraisers, and ordinary folks doing extraordinary things — showing exactly what makes life in your area so appealing.
  
  
• Use Social Media Automation to Make it All Easier
  What we've covered so far may seem like a ton of work, but there is a solution. Automated social media posts on an AI-driven platform like DeltaNET 6 can simplify your life while allowing you to be a true social butterfly. This all-in-one digital marketing center for real estate lets you plan entire campaigns in a few clicks. You can instantly share event-based updates, optimizing post timing, hashtags, and more for maximum effect.

Social media is easy to learn but challenging to master. Contact us to find out more about it from the leaders in real estate digital marketing.

The consolidation of industry influence into just a few hands is a concern all throughout the economy.

Now, many real estate agents wonder if that worrying trend is coming to their neighborhood — literally. Over the last several months, property listing website Zillow has made aggressive moves to insert itself into many parts of the real estate value chain. News that it would hire its own agents was met with widespread dismay.

Its efforts have continued with its acquisition of home showing platform ShowingTime.

The $500 million deal will allow Zillow to integrate ShowingTime technology directly into its website. Users will be able to request a home showing from within Zillow. At the same time, real estate professionals from coast to coast will presumably lose access to ShowingTime unless they are working with Zillow.

It is beyond doubt that Zillow is preparing to use its unprecedented industry visibility to take over many of the functions held by traditional real estate firms. In doing so, it raises the risk that there will be less competition and fewer small businesses that make communities so vibrant in the first place.

In response, Delta Media Group will launch Local Showings, its own independent showing service.

Delta Media Group Continues its History of Industry Partnership with Local Showings

Delta Media Group is a family-owned company. Since 1994, we have worked to develop the best real estate technology in the business. Collaborating with others has been a cornerstone of our work and philosophy. As the industry builds and refines its technical standards, we have consistently been a part of the discussion.

Over that time, we have worked with thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and other professionals from all around the country. Our team has received a remarkable amount of feedback over the last year from experts seeking new tools and capabilities to preserve the independence of their business.

Local Showings is our newest initiative to empower and grow real estate brands. This new platform takes into account the needs of new and established real estate agents. During development, we polled the industry to understand precisely how our proposed system could be even better. 100% of the responses we received indicated support for a full-featured, independent showing service.

As Local Showings enters the final testing and deployment phase, we will continue to listen carefully and respond to feedback. Local Showings has been a part of our blue sky development efforts for 10 years. With the real estate industry changing quickly, we believe now is the best time for it to deliver unique value.

Local Showings Will Empower Real Estate Agents with Tools to Take on "The Big Guys"

Local Showings will be a fully-featured, easy-to-use platform for managing property showings. Here's what you can expect:

• Schedule showings with ease, and receive quick assistance from our tech support team.

• Seamless onboarding so you can get to work fast and effectively, regardless of your skillset.

• A competitive price that lets you forgo Zillow without turning your pockets inside out.

• An independent showing service you can count on to be a reliable, long-term solution.

With Local Showings, it will be easier than ever to schedule, create, and manage home tour experiences. Delta Media Group customers already benefit from Properties in Motion, our real estate video solution that enables voice-over videos and texting for a modern virtual tour.

Delta Media Group's all-in-one solution for real estate relationship management combines rich features with ease of use. We believe in designing nimble, stable technology with a seamless entry into your existing workflow — so you can go forward with true confidence.

Stay Tuned For More Updates

While we haven't set a release date just yet, you can rest assured Local Showings will be ready for you and your clients soon. Delta Media Group strives to help you create memorable real estate experiences for the buyers and sellers in your community. To find out more about real estate digital marketing from the experts, contact us today.

Click Here to Read More...