(Retweet this article!) It’s springtime – a time when buyers and sellers start emerging from their winter slumber. This seems especially true this year with the low prices and lower interest rates we’re seeing in the real estate market.

Warren Buffett proclaimed that this is the time to buy real estate and many of our members are seeing a wave of buyer demand already. In fact, Enterprise Network member Charles Reinhart Company Realtors saw home sales for this January and February increase by 46% compared to 2011!  Ebby Halliday Realtors has also blogged about the increase in sales year over year and Wright Kingdom Real Estate has also seen a rise in home sales.

With home sales on the rise, people are beginning to change their attitude towards buying a house. In order for your agents to cater to the needs of their buyers and sellers, it is critical to have a good system in place for handling the leads coming in from your website.

We wanted to see if this increase in home sales transferred into an increase in buyer demand, so we took a closer look at the amount of online leads coming in through LifeCycle, our inquiry management system. We compared the number of leads received from January 1 through April 31 for the years 2011 and 2012 in order to get the big picture.

Looking only at members who were tracking leads during these time periods, we found that 80% of those Enterprise Network members saw an increase in leads year over year.  Overall, members saw an average increase of 22.8%.  Charles Reinhart Company Realtors and Skogman Realty lead the pack with more than 45% growth in forms filled out on their website since last year!

We’ve been working with our members over the years to establish business rules for responding to online customers in a timely manner. With this increase in buyer demand, it is more important than ever to make sure that you have a system in place that is capturing and converting all of your leads. In fact, we recommend responding to every lead within 5 minutes based on our research.

Your agents are constantly on-the-go, and as a result it’s necessary to have the right inquiry management system in place.  Having the right support staff available to quickly respond to incoming leads and nurture client relationships is also key to success.

If you’re still not convinced watch this video from InmanNext on the importance of lead response times.  Darin Persinger notes that you are 100 times more likely to connect with a lead if you reach out in five minutes compared to 30 minutes. He also emphasizes that if you do not have a system in place to reply to these leads, you are losing them.

Real estate customers have changed.  Buyers and sellers are now Internet consumers who are used to instant gratification. By setting up a system similar to our First Responder Program you will be able to ensure you get the lead! (Retweet this article!)

Last night, during the commercials, a Starbucks logo came up as one of the sponsors. Mya, my 4 year old, shouts “Starbucks!” As a dad, my immediate reaction was how proud I am of my smart girl, quickly followed by the realization that we must be visiting Starbucks too often.

I asked her “What is Starbucks?” and she quickly replied “Cake Pop!” If you are unfamiliar with these, they are little cake bite sugar rushes on a stick that are really quite great, but I am not sure are worth the time on the treadmill.

The point is though that while I was first impressed that she had recognized the brand by its logo, I now realized that she recognized the logo for the love of their product.

While most of the world would have answered that question with “Coffee”, to her the logo represented “Cake Pops”. Yet even at her age, out of love for the product and (drive through) experience, she bothered to take the time to notice and remember who it is that is providing this great service.

The flip side of this is that too often company strategies revolve around getting the brand more exposure rather than improving their products and services. If users do not enjoy your products and services and actually remember your brand, it will not be in a positive light.

Make sure to focus on quality and customer-centricity first and you will be sure to see thriving success and great exposure to follow. It is engrained in us from an early age to remember and recognize what we consider to be high quality and enjoyable.

Until my next rant.

Ido Zucker

Journey Search: Journey Search allows customers to view properties within close proximity to their current location.

Exploratory Search: An extension of Journey Search, the Exploratory Search feature continues to update available properties as a customer travels.

Perimeter Search: Through this feature, customers can draw boundaries on the map view, allowing them to only view available homes within the perimeters of their search.

Scope Search: An augmented reality search, Scope Search displays property information on the mobile device when a customer aims their phone’s camera down a street. Information on available properties appears in a pop up for easy viewing.

In addition to the interactive search functionality, the app also syncs to each Danberry customer’s account area, ensuring saved data is accessible on their mobile device as well as danberry.com.

The launch of Danberry’s first real estate app provides customers yet another medium for engaging with their brand. Phase two of the launch will include apps for iPhone and tablet devices. For more information on their new app, watch their promo video:

You can download the app by visiting the Google Play Market and searching for Danberry Realtors – Toledo Homes for Sale. For more information on Danberry Realtors, visit them online at www.danberry.com.

About Danberry Realtors
Danberry Realtors launched in 1962 as a new venture of the Danberry Insurance Company. Over the nearly five decades that followed, Danberry went from the leader in Toledo real estate to the dominant market leader in the whole of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Consistently ranked in the top 100 independent brokers in the nation, Danberry is a one-stop-shop for all your real estate needs. Celebrating their 50^th anniversary this year, Danberry has grown to approximately 250 professional realtors and boasts the region’s most experienced management staff of brokers dedicated to serving their local community.

By Amanda Stephan

Now the third most popular social networking site, Pinterest has already hit 11.7 million unique monthly visits. Even better, the majority of the users visiting the site are hoping to find inspiration for their next dream home, interior decorating ideas and more. (A great fit for the Real Estate Industry, don’t you think!?)

Still not convinced you should join? Check out our infographic outlining the success of Pinterest so far.

To share this infographic on your blog, copy and paste the embed code above.

As you can see, if you’re in the real estate biz and have not jumped on board yet, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. However, like any other social media site, a strategic plan is necessary for success. Incorporating your pinboard into your blog, creating local community boards and running promotions and contests are just a few of the ways you can use Pinterest to generate valuable traffic to your site.

But it doesn’t stop there. With so much content being produced on the site, how will you make your content stand out?

To help our members get started on Pinterest and take their brand to the next level of social engagement, we’ve created a Pinterest white paper that details how to incorporate the platform into their content strategy, how to engage with their followers and tools to help manage their account effectively.

We’re not stopping at just a white paper! Last week, we introduced our latest SEO Juice video series that is focusing on the most popular social networks and how real estate agents can use them to their advantage. Our next video, which will be made available to members in the coming weeks, focuses on Pinterest for real estate and outlines a plan of action for integrating it into your daily schedule.

While we can’t share all the juicy details, below is a sneak peek at what our team has been working on as we prepare for the release of our next video in the series: Pinterest for real estate. Hope you enjoy!

Want more? Follow us on Pinterest for news, tips and technologies that are impacting real estate, as well as inspiring indoor and outdoor spaces to pass along to your customers. And members, be sure to check your inboxes today for a copy of our Pinterest white paper!

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By Amanda Stephan

(Retweet This Article!) In the April issue of RIS Media Magazine, Ris Media released their 24th Annual Power Broker Report that gives a detailed break-down of year-end production numbers for the 300 most successful real estate companies nationwide. We were proud to announce that 10 of our Enterprise Network members made this list from the nearly 1,000 real estate companies from around the country that responded to the survey.

The accompanying article, “2012: The Break-Out Year?” discussed many of the traits of Power Brokers and why they were able to succeed in the turbulent market. Many of the examples focused on the brokerages adaptability and ability to creatively cut costs, including restructuring of office spaces. It also discussed how many actively invest in marketing, technology, recruiting and training for their agents and staff. These are common traits among The Enterprise Network and we are incredibly proud of the work and commitment all members make on a daily basis to remain leaders in their markets.

In the table below, you can view the 10 Enterprise Network that made this list and their rankings, along with transactions and sales volume. (Retweet This Article!)

With social media, we draw huge lines in the sand every day. “I’m not going to do that – Twitter is stupid!” or “Social media isn’t right for the Real Estate Industry.” In 1876, the Western Union thought the telephone had no value. Look at how far we’ve come. The Real Estate Industry is in the people business and if you want to sell something in 2012, you need to be on social media.

This month we are releasing the power of social media to The Enterprise Network. SEO Juice will kick off its Social Series with Facebook and the strategy behind using it. Each month we will dive into one of the major social networks.You don’t want to miss this series! Check out our Facebook page for behind the scenes footage and to leave comments and feedback!

For The Enterprise Network members, the first video in the Social Series is available on your admin panel. Go check it out and leave feedback on SEO Juice Facebook page!

by Katelyn Wheaton

Enterprise Network member, McEnearney Associates, Inc. Realtors, is taking advantage of this national event by running a Twitter campaign. Using the hashtag #MyHomeSearch, McEnearney is asking prospective homebuyers to share the experiences they’ve had searching for their next home.

Inspired by McEnearney’s efforts, several Enterprise Network members are jumping on board to make this a national campaign and we encourage all of you to do the same. Together, we can make an impact!

This is an important event every year for brokerages across the nation as it helps increase awareness of homes for sale in your local neighborhoods and generates additional publicity around your listings. Be sure to reach out to your local community and make this THE event to attend this weekend.

We strongly encourage you to participate in this national event and use this as another great opportunity to help customers shop for their next home. To find an open house in our network, check out our member’s sites below!

• Baird & Warner – Chicago Open Houses
• Charles Reinhart Company Realtors – Ann Arbor Open Houses
• Danberry Realtors– Toledo Open Houses
• Ebby Halliday Real Estate – Dallas Open Houses
• The Group, Inc. Real Estate – Fort Collins Open Houses
• Hasson Company Realtors – Portland Open Houses
• Helen Adams Realty – Charlotte Open Houses
• Kentwood Real Estate – Denver Open Houses
• McEnearney Associates, Inc. Realtors – Northern Virginia Open Houses
• McGuire Real Estate – San Francisco Open Houses
• Milestone Realty Consultants – Kentucky Open Houses
• Murney Associates, Realtors – Springfield Open Houses
• Residential Properties, Ltd – Providence Open Houses
• Skogman Realty – Cedar Rapids Open Houses
• Smith and Associates Real Estate – Tampa Open Houses
• Turpin Real Estate – Chatham Open Houses
• Windermere/Tri-Cities Real Estate – Kennewick Open Houses
• Wright Kingdom Real Estate – Boulder Open Houses

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By Amanda Stephan

Foothills Gateway, Inc. provides assistance to families who support a family member with a cognitive disability. Foothills Gateway also coordinates many family friendly events in Northern Colorado and the 5K Flying Pig Run/Walk is one of the many opportunities for Fort Collins residents to support their local community.

Kassy, Christy and Michelle assisted with registration and encouraged the racers at various checkpoints through the course as Course Marshals. They also helped raise money for individuals with cognitive disabilities.

“We are always glad to get involved when we can with Enterprise Network community events. We are striving to make sure that Active Website is involved with the community as we continue to grow,” said Michelle Hendrickson, Project Manager.

At Active Website, it is important to us to stay as involved as we can with our communities. Recently, we attended the Kare for Kenya Food Drive that was organized by Wright Kingdom Real Estate’s Judy Pitt. (Retweet this Article!)

I’m talking about making a video for the internet, of course.

When it comes to web video, audiences want to get in and out, and move onto something else. Audiences would rather be captivated for a single minute than be bored for three. This isn’t to say that videos over three minutes can’t be enthralling. But, they are few and far between.

Here are some tips on how to avoid boring your audience.

Know What You’re Trying to Say
Hollywood has a rule of thumb about narratives: if you can’t boil down a movie’s plot to a single sentence then the story can’t be told. Considering that movies run an average of two hours, you’d better be pretty sure what you’re trying to say in a one-minute video before you start shooting or animating.

Take the time to refine your message:

• Keep the script tight
• Cut out extraneous lines of narration
• Avoid repetitive concepts and visuals
• Get to the point as fast as possible

Remember, you want the entire narrative to hold your message, not just a single line. Find an angle and a concept that will help you accomplish this.

But, I *really* like that line/shot/animation!
And it’s probably a fantastic line/shot/animation at that! But, if it doesn’t help move the narrative along, cut it. Trust that you’ll have an even better idea next time. By holding on to a very small element, you stop doing what’s best for the piece. Let go. It’s liberating and frees your imagination to come up with something better.

But, I’m Running Low on Ideas!
When I feel this way, I remind myself of something Pablo Picasso said: “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” This doesn’t mean plagiarism – it means seeking out inspiration. Chances are someone else has already said what you’re trying to say. Don’t fight this – embrace it. It doesn’t mean you’re unoriginal, it just means you need some direction. Seek out videos that have a tone, a look or a certain type of music that moves you. What qualities excite you about the videos you’ve seen?

Take those ideas and filter them through your own sensibilities. Change them. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never seen. If it doesn’t work, refine it and let it become what it needs to be in order to move an audience.

I’m Not Good With Feedback
No artist is – at first. Someone will always want to change this or that. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are not. Trust those who believe in and help you refine your vision. These are the people that will help you grow. Avoid the advice of people that try injecting their own sensibilities into a project where it doesn’t fit.

Ultimately it’s about employing the craft in the best way possible: put in only what is absolutely necessary for the narrative and don’t worry about cutting those good ideas. You’ll have a better one next time.

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By Jeff Payne

On Monday, Active Website attended Distilled’s LinkLove Conference on behalf of The Enterprise Network. Rand kicked off the event discussing the impact that their content has had on their brand and how a simple blog post can receive more links than any other outlet for link building. Just by pushing the publish button on their blog – Ta-dah! Thousands of links built while he sleeps! In the words of Rand, “F*&% Link Building – Content Marketing FTW!”

In this ever evolving SEO world where Google gets more and more sophisticated, you basically have two options: build great content or build some f#%&ing links to your site! We’ve seen Google catch on to reciprocal linking and we’ve seen blog networks fall off the radar. But there is one thing that remains in Google’s good favor and will ultimately help your SEO in the long run: Great content.

The conference was packed full of strategies for content development, building targets and relationships, and specific tools to make the process easier. Justin Briggs discussed the specifics of how to measure and report on your link building efforts and recommended that everyone download Gephi for some amazing visual of link data, while Ross Hudgens presented some great ideas on content imitation (or stealing!) for link building purposes. His clever take on the book “Steal Like an Artist” was pretty comical and brought the concept of working smarter – not harder – into your content development.

It was a day packed full of ideas and actionable SEO strategies from the best of the best in the industry and reaffirmed that content is always going to be king.  I know I’m not alone when I say I left the conference feeling inspired and excited to implement these strategies into The Enterprise Network platform!

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By Katelyn Wheaton