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Establish Marketing Priorities and Analyze Every Step of the Way

By Laurie Andrews Posted in - Media & Networking & Public Relations & Social Media & Uncategorized & Web on August 21st, 2013

All across the country, real estate continues to see positive news for the industry. The good news on sales success is being driven by investment buyers seeking appreciation or rental income.  As the cycle continues and the economy continues to strengthen, end-user buyers will continue to increase. As builders and developers are putting their strategic marketing plan in place, questions often arise on how much they should budget and what the top priorities should be. As a leader in real estate marketing for more than four decades, Cotton & Company is assisting its clients by establishing priorities throughout their strategic plan. Focusing on direct consumer sales most often results in a higher ROI by lessening the commission expense.  Today, most…

The World Has Changed Since the Last Real Estate Cycle

By Laurie Andrews Posted in - Real Estate on April 29th, 2013

It’s been a long road back for the real estate development industry. When the down slope for residential real estate began in 2006, the world was a very different place. It’s hard to believe that Facebook only existed on college campuses, and the first generation of the iPhone wasn’t introduced until 2007. But it was the iPad introduction in 2010 that really changed the world for real estate developers, bringing the wealthy discretionary buyer into the digital realm. Today, as many developers begin to reenter the market, they are recognizing new marketing challenges as a result of changing technology. Top 10 Changes: 1. Website infrastructure and design must prioritize tablet interaction. This means a more focused navigation plan that emphasizes…

What is More Important – Lead Generation or Conversion?

By Laurie Andrews Posted in - Real Estate on January 28th, 2013

“Lead generation” is all the channels used to create potential buyers. It used to be that print media generated early interest, then the lead came into the sales office and the buyers were then sold on the community and product. Oh, how things have changed! Today’s lead generation channels still include many traditional resources like brokers, signage, direct mail, events, television, public relations and many others.  But today the biggest change is online- where your website acts as your virtual sales office. Ever wonder when real estate sites receive the highest traffic? 10 PM. That’s right!  Laptops go to the bedroom and buyers begin their search. They explore, watch videos, visit Facebook pages and compare communities to decide which are worth touring. It makes…

Why Social Media Marketing Works for Real Estate

By Angelene Posted in - Advertising & Media & Networking & Public Relations & Real Estate & Social Media & Uncategorized on January 14th, 2013

If you’ve been keeping up then you know that the final choice in the homebuyer’s decision-making process is most highly influenced by emotions. And for this reason, as real estate marketers, we must focus on lifestyle selling. Once you understand how important the lifestyle sell is to real estate, it then becomes increasingly clear why social marketing fits the bill. Here’s how: People love sharing exciting news about their lives on Facebook. This is the most natural place for buyers to showcase their new home purchase to their friends. The simple nature of sharing online and connecting with your closest friends and family falls perfectly in line with referral marketing. Never before was there such an easy way to reach…

Data Capture Essential to Build Sales Pipeline

By Laurie Andrews Posted in - Advertising & Media & Networking & Public Relations & Real Estate & Social Media & Uncategorized & Web on December 4th, 2012

As we all know, two-way communication is required to have a meaningful conversation. During the new home buying process, beginning the conversation sooner rather than later should be a primary focus of your website marketing initiatives. Of course, increased website visits are a positive indication of your marketing outreach, but it’s only the first step in the sales funnel that requires bringing the prospect through many steps prior to reaching a closed sale. Website interaction represents a golden opportunity to open a dialog with the prospective homebuyer. Consumers are busy people, and they are often researching their options late in the evening, long after your sales center is closed. They aren’t looking for direct person-to-person contact, but they are doing their homework to…

Online Friend Referrals Are Driving Consumer Purchase Decisions

By Alexis Posted in - Advertising & Media & Networking & Public Relations & Social Media & Uncategorized & Web on May 24th, 2012

Don’t like what’s hanging in your closet? Can’t decide what to buy in the store? Always sending photos of yourself to your friends asking – “What do you think?” When looking to purchase items, social media marketing is a game changer. Today 90% of consumers look to “friends” and ‘Liked’ pages or ‘Pins’ to decide what to purchase. Social media and peer recommendations are being taken to a whole new level, especially in Brazil. Brazilian retailer, C&A, has teamed up with Facebook in creating real time fashion feedback. They have already asked the question and are giving you the answer right on the hanger.

Networking with Businesses

By Angelene Posted in - Media & Networking & Public Relations & Social Media on April 17th, 2012

When networking in social media as a business there are a few constant rules you can never forget if you’re looking to effectively leverage the space. Social media networking is about people and building relationships. If you’re business wants to enter this platform, you must take into consideration, we know – it’s hard to believe, but – consumers are not here to get excited about your products. They are here to have fun. Understanding this, you can begin to tailor your approach to messaging in the space to more effectively reach your potential consumers in a way that appeals to them in that medium. In other words – be fun and entertaining and don’t be annoying! Our three rules for…

Pinterest: It’s More than Pretty Pictures and Cupcake Recipes

By Alexis Posted in - Advertising & Networking & Public Relations & Social Media on February 28th, 2012

Pinterest is pretty much one giant endorsement of goods, for women by women. And thus far, emphasis has been placed on crafts, home interiors and gardens, cooking, entertaining and art. However, Pinterest is growing faster than Facebook when it was its size, with more seven million unique visitors in December. And it’s driving more traffic to company websites and blogs than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. The online social pinboard harnesses the power of personal referral. Word of mouth is arguably the most effective selling tool, and a strong presence on Pinterest empowers just that. Promoting your business on Pinterest: What you need to know Pinterest can be a useful tool to promote new products and interact with potential customers….

What Would Jesus Do, on Facebook?

By Angelene Posted in - Advertising & Media & Networking & Public Relations & Social Media & Uncategorized & Web on November 22nd, 2011

If Jesus had a Facebook account, imagine the amount of people he could have reached. What if he could tweet daily lessons on love and kindness? The power of social media and its ability to connect millions upon millions of people around the world is awe inspiring, and the effect of powerful messaging can be extraordinary, if done properly. So where is religion’s place in technology, and how can it be used to impact the most amount of people?While a website provides pertinent information, it fails to connect people.