• Personalized home page
• Quick access to personal and MLS^® listings
• Map-based searching
• Full integration with your website
• Photo icon on iPhone home screen

Check it out:

Your website on the iPhone 4

So – what do you need to do to get your mobile website? Nothing – the upgrade is free and already installed on your existing RealPageMaker website! Use your iPhone and go to yourwebsite.com/m/index.html to check it out!

New In-Website Editor

Looks the same as before? Look again – we’ve added:

• Optional formatting (see the dotted boxes within the content)
• Many more formatting and styling options
• Easier copying-and-pasting from MS Word and Open Office

We’ve also added a new System-wide file manager:

New File Manager

Now you can:

• Manage website files MUCH more easily
• Upload files faster
• Store files on our servers
• Better format images in your pages/blog posts

This free upgrade is now available on all RPM Agent and RPM Brokerage websites.

What’s a domain name?

Wikipedia defines a domain name as follows:

“A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet, based on the Domain Name System (DNS).”

Put simply, a domain name is the address of a website; for example, www.RealPageMaker.com is a Domain Name. Domain names are sometimes referred to (sometimes incorrectly) as:

• URLs
• Website Names
• Web addresses

How are domain names purchased?

Domain names are purchased through domain name registrars who are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Here are some examples:

• GoDaddy.com
• DomainsAtCost.ca
• NetworkSolutions.com

Registrars charge a variety of fees and typically offer a variety of different services including (but not limited to):

• Website design
• Website hosting
• Email
• Domain name parking
• Domain name back-ordering

Who Owns a Domain Name?

This is a good question. Most people think that once they pay for a domain name they will own it indefinitely. The fact is that a person or company cannot “purchase” a domain name outright because they must continue paying registration renewal fees to keep control of that domain name.

In essence, domain names are like rented real estate – you can sign variable term leases (1-10 years), but the lease will inevitably expire and need to be renewed, or terminated.

What happens if I miss a payment on my domain name?

Missing a payment on a domain name can be EXTREMELY serious. Here’s what typically happens:

1. The Domain Name Registrar will email the technical and administrative contacts associated with the domain notifying them that the domain name registration has expired and that the domain name has been suspended for 30 days.
2. After two weeks, the domain name registrar will email the technical and administrative contacts notifying them that the domain name is entering a redemption period (prices go up here!!).
3. After a month, the domain name registrar will send one last email notifying the registrant that the domain name is about to be lost.
4. Within a few days the registrar will offer the domain name to any third parties that have placed back-orders on the domain name (though this practice has become less common recently some people are unlucky enough to lose their domain names to these “domain squatters“). The successful back-order will become the new owner of the domain name.

Recovering a domain name once it has expired or changes ownership can be an extremely expensive proposition. In many cases, unless the former owner is willing to pay hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, he/she will need to abandon the former domain name and start again. This means new business cards, email addresses, promotional material, advertising campaigns, search engine optimization, etc.

So, who should manage your domain name?

The following are criteria that qualify someone to manage a domain name:

• They check their email AT LEAST once per day, including weekends
• They will never change their email address
• They are experienced in domain name registration processes
• They use only the most stable registrars

Managing the domain name properly is crucial for the success of any website. Serious professionals will leave this up to the experts.

1. Paging Services are Out-Dated

Sure, paging services served their purpose by providing a real voice at the end of the line in an industry where it would otherwise be impossible, but times changed long ago with the advent of mobile phones.

These days customers perceive paging services as just another barrier between them and the information they need. The added step of calling a paging service, then waiting for a call back can be a frustrating and often futile experience. At least leaving a voice mail gets it to the doorstep of the right person – a page could end up just about anywhere.

2. Paging Services are Unreliable

It’s happened to all of us – we’ve sent text messages that haven’t gone through as expected. The same is true for paging services, and unless you’re willing to check the paging report thoroughly every month, be prepared to lose some business from incorrectly paged leads.

Not only that, but what if the paging receptionist (who’s making minimum wage) makes a typo in the phone number from that inbound lead? Goodbye commission cheque.

3. Paging Services are Unprofessional

Here’s one of the most irritating voice mail greetings a Realtor can have:

“Hi, you’ve reached the voice mail for Sam Prochazka, Realtor serving the Greater Calgary area. I’m currently serving other customers, but please leave a message and I’ll return your call at my earliest convenience. If your call is urgent, please page me through my office at 123-456-789…”

So – I can leave a message, or I can call another number, potentially hold for several minutes, have them send my Realtor a text message that may or may not get through, then have it end up at the exact place I’ve just called? I’ll go elsewhere, thanks.

What Top Producers Do

The bottom line is that top producers realize that every “service” between them and their customers is a barrier. They realize that EVERY phone call, from inquiry to motivated seller, is a potential commission and should be treated as professionally as a listing presentation.

Top Producers I’ve spoken to do the following:

1. They make sure their office paging service gives out their cell-phone number (even the evening services)
2. They work at a brokerage that has extended hours
3. They advertise their cell phone numbers
4. They present realistic callback times in their cell phone voice mail greetings

New MLS Search Engine - Map View

New MLS Search Engine - List View with Predictive Search

The new search Engine includes:

• Predictive searching (in Beta)
• Address, MLS Number, Neighborhood, and City specific searching
• Ability to choose between sliders and drop-downs
• List view for results
• Enhanced statistics
• Additional map search tools
• More fine search options
• Better integrated market statistics
• More obvious VIP features
• Larger map workspace

Stay tuned for a whack of upgrades in Q1 2010…

Agents are often sold on websites because they are great looking or they are “all about Twitter.” Unfortunately, most of them lack the most important tool…

To capture business online a good MLS® Search Engine is a must-have. It’s as simple as that. See which category your website falls into below:

1. Real Estate Websites With NO MLS® Search

Have you ever gone into a book store and not been find any books? Probably not. Imagine what visitors to a real estate website think when they can’t find MLS® Listings?

It’s seems obvious doesn’t it, but still there are tens of thousands of real estate websites out there without even the most simple of an MLS® Search. These websites offer virtually nothing of value to their visitors other than a good photo or a twitter feed. These are the Internet versions of roadside billboards – some are attractive, others are ugly, all are useless.

2. Real Estate Websites With Gated (Blocked) MLS® Search

Do you like going through airport security? Me neither – and if your website forces visitors to register before they can use your MLS® Search then you’re turning away lots of business.

Some websites will partially block, prompting you for information every time you click, but giving you the option to continue without registering. That’s almost as annoying as a little paperclip icon popping up and saying, “It looks like you’re writing a letter…,” almost…

3. Real Estate Websites With a Good MLS® Search

If visitors can access the most comprehensive and complete information possible, quickly and easily, you’ve got yourself winner, and a fantastically useful tool to offer you clients. A good MLS® Search offers:

• map-based searching of listings
• 1-click search results – users never need to hit a search button
• simple and advanced search options
• all MLS® listings in your area, updated at least hourly
• can generate leads by offering additional resources (market snapshots, specialized searching, etc.)

So, when you’re shopping around for a real estate website, make sure you ask – what kind of MLS® Search Engine do you have?

Step 1: Get an “Edge”

Check out this video. This is the owner of GoDaddy (one of the Internet’s most profitable companies) telling you that you need an “edge.” Although an “edge” can be pretty much anything that is useful to your customers, consider these “edges” for “Yee Olde Real Estate Company”:

• Real-Time House-Price Trending for South Chicago
• ONLY 10% Cap-Rate or higher Revenue Properties in Calgary
• Monthly Condo Conversion Opportunities in Vancouver
• This Month’s Best University Area Family House Deals in Edmonton
• The House-Flipper Expert – Exclusively for Flippers
• etc…

Once you’ve got an “edge,” you’ve got a target market, and it’s time for Step 2.

Step 2: Start a Blog to Facilitate QUICK Access to RELEVANT Information

Readers want useful information QUICKLY – You’ve got 1/2 second to get someone’s attention, and that’s it. So, an email needs to be short and sweet, but still allow access to a range of relevant information quickly. Here’s how you do it:

1. Write 1-2 articles per week that are relevant to your “Edge.” This will take some time in the beginning, but as you write more, you’ll find it easier and easier to create great, useful content that your target will want/need to read.
2. Create compelling headlines. Which would get your attention: “Great Revenue Property In Calgary,” or, “12% Cap Rate: Best Deal In East Calgary.”
3. Links to you and your site. People that read the article are interested and should be no more than 1 click away from contacting you, or finding more information. Always have your phone number/email obvious, and have links throughout your site for more information.

A quick note about content: Make sure your content is compelling – I’ve seen blogs that basically have 2 articles: “The Market is going Up,”  and “The Market is Going Down.” How boring is that? Be diligent to keep your articles original and compelling, with information that you yourself find useful and interesting.

Step 3: Get a Mailer Program

RPM Agent comes with a fully integrated drip-email program that allows you to create and manage email campaigns. Other options include Constant Contact, Streamsend, and Tellemonline. Some are more expensive than others, and require duplicating your client lists on multiple servers.

We highly recommend using an integrated service (like ours) to save you a lot of administrivia time.

Step 4: Create a Subscriber List

Everyone you meet that expresses even a remote interest in your “edge” should in your mailing list (with their permission, of course). This includes:

• friends and family
• past customers
• people you meet at weddings
• people that sign up through your website
• etc.

Don’t worry if your list is small to begin with – just be diligent about maintaining and adding to it regularly.

Step 5: Decide on the Campaign Details

Is it monthly, bi-weekly, or what? I recommend starting monthly and then increasing to bi-weekly once you’re in the rhythm of things. If you start too aggressively, you may find yourself rushing out poor content just to keep up with your campaign frequency.

Step 6: Create a Compelling Email

For every mail out, choose the top 3 headlines from your last two weeks (or month, depending on your campaign frequency). Put them in a nicely formatted email with LINKS to the full article on your blog. DON’T FORGET THE LINKS – After all, driving traffic to your website is the whole point. Use the mailer program to personalize the message to your subscribers.

Don’t dress the email up with pictures/backgrounds/etc. as they will be ignored by most of your readers.

Step 7: Click Send and Watch Readership Statistics

Click send. If your website has good statistical trending, you’ll be able to see which articles are read most, which will allow you to further refine your “edge” and to create more focused content to increase readership.

Step 8: Be Consistent

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. Like any marketing campaign, consistency is the key. If you don’t start seeing results within 4 months, however, I recommend refining your “edge” and taking a look at the quality of content you’re creating.

“…In the New York state political coup, billionaire businessman Tom Golisano said he grew angry after meeting this spring with state Democratic majority leader Malcolm Smith, who paid more attention to his BlackBerry than to issues at hand…”

You can read the full article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE55A6XZ20090612.

Campaign Manager

How should you design a good campaign? The main thing is to make sure it’s interesting to your customers and directs people to visit your website:

• Include links in your campaign messages to your blog, and direct people to subscribe to your blog feed
• Include information your customers can use in their real estate endeavors – investment information, mortgage rates, insurance/mortgage brokers, pre/post purchase information, etc.  Whenever possible, direct clients to read this information on your website.
• Don’t make the messages look like advertisement – no one likes spam
• Keep the messages short and simple – people don’t have time to read more than a few bullet points
• Make headlines enticing – if you’re linking back to articles on your website, make the link titles in your campaign message enticing, i.e. use, “Get a mortgage rate that’ll make your friends jealous,” rather than just, “Mortgage Information.”