Oregon 3-5-18

OREGON EDITION

5 SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES Real Estate Agents Must Avoid GOOGLE ADWORDS: How to Make Google do the Work for You

KEEPING IN TOUCH – How to Stay in Your Clients’ Lives for the Long Haul Things I Have Learned AT THE GYM

COVER STORY

KASIA TRAMMELL

OREGON EDITION

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KASIA TRAMMELL

CONTENTS 4) GOOGLE ADWORDS: HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU 13) KEEPING IN TOUCH – HOW TO STAY IN YOUR CLIENTS’ LIVES FOR THE LONG HAUL

19) THINGS I HAVE LEARNED AT THE GYM 22) 5 SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES REAL ESTATE AGENTS MUST AVOID

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Google AdWords:

How To Make Google Do the Work for You There is no denying that the internet is the first place a buyer begins looking for a new home in this digital age. Knowing how to put the powerful tools available on the internet to work for you can give you a decided advantage when it comes to attracting prospective buyers to your listings, as well as you as an agent. Google is easily one of the major superpowers of the internet, and they have one of the most powerful advertising tools available. Knowing how to utilize Google AdWords in the correct manner can make your internet advertising immensely powerful and possibly your best way to reach prospective buyers.

Google AdWords is also extremely cost-effective. This multifaceted tool gives you much more control over your advertising campaign than other more traditional methods. You can target specific audiences, choose the specific search terms, also known as keywords, that will bring up your ad in someone’s search results, and you can set a budget for each campaign that will dictate it’s reach and how long the campaign will run. Here are some tips for how to put Google AdWords to work for you.

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ent websites. You want to set yourself apart from every other real estate website users are viewing in their search for a house.

MAKE SURE YOUR ADS ARE GOING TO SEND USERS TO A SITE THAT WILL CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION

You can spend an infinite amount of money on Google advertising campaigns, but if those ads don’t send users to a site that will capture and hold their interest, then you’ve just wasted all that money. Don’t put your cart before the horse. Make sure you are considering exactly where these ads are going to send users. To set up your website for success, at the very least you want to make sure users are greeted by clear call-to-action, such as a message that will encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. You want to set up your website to maximize and capture the leads the ad campaign sends your way.

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BUILD CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOM-MADE WEBSITES RATHER THAN TEMPLATE WEBSITES It is easy and tempting to use template websites, or to offer your agents template websites if you are a real estate manager or broker. While this offers a cost-effective solution to providing every agent with a website, it does little to set you or your agents apart and capture the attention of users that are used to seeing a wealth of differ-

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MAKE SURE YOU ARE OFFERING VALUE ON YOUR WEBSITE

Don’t simply use your website as a kind of brag sheet. Let users know what makes your particular services valuable to them. Highlight your expertise in a certain location through tools such as blog posts, providing market updates, or giving pertinent information on a unique type of property. This will ensure that your online advertising campaigns are much more successful.

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LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!

Location is everything in real estate, and the same holds true for Google AdWords. You can target specific locations in your ad campaign. While one approach is to focus on the area around your location, a more advanced approach would be to link AdWords campaigns to your Google My Business account. This is a Google service that includes your address in the ad, allowing people to then click on it and see exactly where you are located on a map.

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USE GOOGLE ADWORDS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Focus an AdWords campaign on expanding your business by incorporating specific zip codes and neighborhoods that will help you establish a presence in an area where you would like to increase your real estate business. Making sure that your ad appears in search results that are related to the real estate in a specific area will help shape the image and brand of your business as well as bring in new leads.

HARNESS THE POWER OF DATA

When you run a Google AdWords campaign Google Analytics captures a wealth of information about your target client demographic.

You can gain real insight into your online visitors, such as when they visit, what they do and look at on your site once they get there, and what search terms they use. You can use all of this information to grow your business. Use Google Analytics to determine which users (location, gender, age) are utilizing specific aspects of your site, such as looking at multiple listings, reading your blog, etc. You can then use this information to target these specific demographics in your AdWord campaigns, Gmail ads, the Google Display Network, and other advertising.

Using the internet to help advertise your business and your listings is one of the smartest moves you can make as an agent in this modern age. However, you don’t want to simply go into the process blind or you’re wasting a lot of potential resources and data that could make all the difference. To reap the benefits of Google AdWords, you must apply an intelligent strategy to using these campaigns.

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KASIA TRAMMELL Top Agent Magazine

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Kasia Trammell, Principal Broker at Realty by Design, based in downtown Oregon City, serves clients across Clackamas County and the greater Portland area.

KASIA TRAMMELL Real estate always played a central role in Kasia Trammell’s life. Back in Poland, she studied at a technical high school with a focus on the homebuilding process from the ground up.

When she headed off to university, she turned her eye toward economics and real estate. Then, in pursuit of a new adventure, she moved to the U.S. through an au pair program, learning English and challenging herself through a host of new experiences. “I immediately built a new world around me from the foundation up,” she remembers. “Mindful of the world I left behind, I was a little girl all over again, learning to 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

talk, write, spell, and explore.” Ultimately, she decided to pursue architecture through Portland State University’s degree program, where she put her passion to the hardest test. Not only was she accepted, but she also completed the program in the midst of her first pregnancy and her daughter’s early delivery during Kasia’s thirdyear final. All the while, Kasia’s passion for real estate stood firm, and when she and her husband set out to Oregon City to expand their respective businesses, Kasia made an early splash on the local professional scene. Now, thirteen years after her start in the industry, Kasia has earned an enthusiastic reputation for creativity, knowledge, and a winning personality.

Today, Kasia’s office is based in downtown Oregon City, and she serves clients across Clackamas County and the greater Portland area, preferring to go wherever clients may need her vision. She heads a tightknit, capable team of two and counting as the Principal Top Agent Magazine

Broker at Realty by Design. To date, Kasia has earned a robust 70% of her business from repeat and referral clientele. The secret to her success? Kasia cites her architectural training, energy, and vision as the foremost drivers of her professional philosophy. “I love what I do and I’m passionate about it,” she says. “I help clients see the true potential in the houses or locations they want to purchase. I’m able to help them visualize how best to change it and make it their own—from moving walls, redesigning the interior, changing out furniture, or making updates.” In fact, much of Kasia’s downtown office space was redesigned and furnished with creatively sourced and repurposed materials—a testament to her creative eye and knack for visionary planning. “I believe that architecture can reduce prejudice while elevating culture Top Agent Magazine

The bridge connects the cities of West Linn and Oregon City.

and embodying true experiences, reflecting realism,” she explains. “Creating is beautiful and every nuance has a meaning and thought.”

What’s more, Kasia’s in-depth knowledge of the region—its charms, amenities, and architectural gems—affords clients an expert’s insight into the market and its diverse inventory.

Considering Portland’s real estate scene is booming, more tourists and homeowners than ever are flocking to the region and bolsterCopyright Top Agent Magazine9

ing Oregon City’s small business community.

For her part, Kasia is involved in a variety of projects that also promote the profile of her adoptive hometown. She’s in the midst of filming a video series highlighting Oregon City’s unique charms, as well as a storytelling piece that helps breathe new life into the area. “I love Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

to help people see the potential in housing,” she says. “That’s my passion. My husband and I also like to invest in properties, and I love seeing a paired down place become a beautiful spot for a family to live.” Kasia has also earned worthwhile distinctions in her market, including the Green, Earth Advantage Broker designation—adding additional value to her work with today’s modern clients.

To market listings, Kasia enjoys significant visibility around town. Her storefront office shares an entryway with a popular local restaurant, and foot traffic is always high. Likewise, local TV ads, listing boards, and print media in Top Agent Magazine

Best of Oregon City magazine ensure maximum exposure in print or online.

Kasia also likes to get involved in her community, and most recently hosted free family portraits during the Halloween holiday when Main Street in Oregon City closed for celebrations.

To further give back, Kasia donates a portion of each commission to a charity of her clients’ choice.

At home, Kasia’s family life is always lively.

It was originally her husband’s business that brought the pair and their family to West Linn, which is walking distance to her office in OreTop Agent Magazine

gon City. “I encourage people to move close to their work, schools, etc., so they have more time to spend playing with their kids and enjoying their activities instead of sitting in traffic,” Kasia explains. They’ve settled themselves here with their three children, two girls and a boy. Together, they most enjoy staying active Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

and the natural splendor of Oregon City and their adoptive home state.

They also relish the chance to travel to new destinations, explore the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and support each other’s interests and creative endeavors.

Looking ahead, Kasia has plans to continue building her business and to soon develop an intrepid team. “I want to find and work with extraordinary people who are passionate about what they do,” she says. “I’d love my team to be go-getters, people who have different areas of talent that we could teach other.” In the meantime, Kasia plans to continue building her community one beautiful home and aspiring family at a time. With thirteen years of visionary service behind her and an energetic outlook ahead, the best is assuredly still to come for Kasia Trammell of Realty by Design.

To learn more about

KASIA TRAMMELL visit rbdportlandhomes.com, www.

e-mail hello@rbdportlandhomes.com, https://www.facebook.com/rbdportlandhomes call (503) 406 – 1118, or visit her Facebook page here.

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HOW TO STAY IN YOUR CLIENTS’ LIVES FOR THE LONG HAUL

One sign of a great real estate agent is there long list of loyal client following. Part of achieving a great referral base is being a great realtor during the transaction. But, that’s only half of the work.

To truly be your client’s realtor for life and keep them coming back to you as well as referring others to you, you have to stay in their lives past the transaction. Keeping in touch with your past clients can be one of the most important parts of your business, and one that many realtors tend to push to the wayside.

Do you stay in your client’s lives, or do you disappear? People refer people that they feel they know well and that they trust, people they consider friends. However, earning and keeping your client’s trust involves maintaining a delicate balance with how much you contact them. Experts recommend reaching out to your clients at least quarterly. But, it’s not just about how often you stay in touch. You also need to be mindful about how you are reaching out to them. Here are some tips on how to keep in touch with your clients for the long haul: Top Agent Magazine

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INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL CONTACT One of the best ways to keep in touch with your clients is to simply give them a call every once in a while. Follow up and see how your clients are doing. Offer them assistance if they need it. Personalized contact helps to ensure that you remain as important to your clients long after the sale as you were during the transaction. Giving your clients a call on special occasions such as birthdays or holidays also makes for a great personal touch.

Of course, nothing beats face-to-face contact. Stopping by to say hello can be a great way to keep in contact. An even better way to catch up and maintain that friendship is to set up a lunch or coffee date with past clients. Giving individual clients your undivided attention goes a long way towards maintaining that bond you formed during the transaction and earning your client’s loyalty and trust. Interactions like this make a lasting impression on your clients.

Of course, many busy REALTORS® may not have time to follow up with every client oneon-one. A great way to still give personal attention to your clients without meeting each and every one for lunch is to throw a client appreciation party. This allows you to get in some face-to-face time with each client and make sure they all get your undivided attention and quality time to catch up with you, even if it’s only for a short time.

Now, if you have a lot of past clients, this can be difficult to manage during one party. One way to get around the numbers problem is to organize smaller events based on client’s inter-

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ests. Instead of throwing one giant party, host a pool party for the families with kids or a wine and cheese get together for single clients. Hosting special events like these ones goes a long way towards keeping your contact with past clients more personalized and setting you apart from those businesses that simply send them a calendar once a year.

PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH USEFUL NEWS PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH USEFUL NEWS One way that many REALTORSÂŽ keep in touch with their clients is by sending them newsletters. This form of contact can be a double-edged sword. You want to make sure you provide them with useful information that reminds them of your value as a real estate professional.

Otherwise your communication will amount to nothing more than spam, and clients will think of you less as a trusted friend and more as a nuisance salesperson.

Clients react much more positively to communication containing information that is pertinent to their lives. Update your clients on what is going on in their local community and housing market. Demonstrate your knowledge about the community and the things that are important to your clients. Include information about local cultural events, community news, housing statistics, information on the mortgage market, home maintenance advice, home design tips, and anything else that your clients will find personally useful. Your clients will always be interested in value.

SEND CLIENTS MEMORABLE AND PERSONAL CARDS Sending your clients cards related to important events in their lives and letting them know that you remember those events and care will go a long way towards building and maintaining a close personal relationship with them. You want to make sure your cards stand out, though. Sending popular holiday cards can be a mistake, as they will most likely get lost amongst all of your clients other holiday cards and will be quickly forgotten. Instead send something more personal such as: HOME ANNIVERSARY CARDS: Send cards to each client on the anniversary of the closing of their home.

CONGRATULATORY CARDS: Remember important events such as wedding anniversaries, graduations, new babies, etc.

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY CARDS: Instead of just sending your typical birthday card, add something special to yours that will stand out. Include a $1 scratch off ticket or a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks. Make sure to include a handwritten personal note.

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GIVE CLIENTS AN UNUSUAL GIFT Make sure the gifts you send your past clients stand out. Send your past clients an odd gift at the beginning of the year or on a holiday. Think outside the box and send things like funny magnets, customized mugs, a personalized piece of wall décor, and other fun and unusual items. A great way to make your gift stand out even more is to include a funny note with it that will catch their attention as well as make them think of you. For example, one cute idea is to send clients a bag of popcorn with the note, “Real estate is popping, give me a call.” You could send a bag of goldfish with a note attached that says, “I’m fishing for your referrals.” Get creative and have a little fun with it, your clients will notice and remember you for it.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS

Social networking sites make staying in contact with past clients in a more informal and friendly basis much easier. Connect with your past clients on Facebook. This will help you stay up to date on the important things happening in your pact clients’ lives. In return, it provides you a great platform for keeping those past clients up to date with what is going on in your business as well as keep in contact in a more informal manner. Use Facebook to remind past clients to check their basement after a heavy rain or that they can contact you for help during tax time.

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You can even organize your contacts on Facebook into customized lists such as “past clients,” “industry contacts,” etc. This will help you better manage your Facebook contacts.

This will also allow you to view specific news feeds based on these lists and send messages to a particular list of contacts. Don’t forget about the many other social networking sites such as Twitter or LinkedIn either. Utilize this technology to drive personal contact with your clients.

STAY ORGANIZED

No matter how you choose to keep in contact with past clients, make sure to be consistent.

Consistency will help you stay organized and diligent about reaching out to your past clients regularly. A tool used by many real estate professionals to stay organized is a customer relationship management solution. Whether you use one that is online or a computer software program, this will help you stay organized when managing your contacts and allow you to set notifications to alert you when you need to contact certain clients, send out gifts, plan a client appreciation event, and many other things throughout the year.

Staying organized and consistent in your contact with past clients will help you continue to build and manage your referral base, as well as open the door to repeat and referral business.

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Things I Have Learned at the Gym

by Barry Eisen

Within the macrocosm of life there are pockets of microcosms that reflect the bigger picture. Sometimes the bigger picture gets a little too fuzzy or ambiguous to grasp or be motivated by or to learn from. What we can learn from a moment’s contemplation of some of the more familiar areas of our lives can have value in figuring out the bigger picture.

with a positive anticipation allows the memory to work better and to perform at higher levels.

Gym: When someone is using a mirror for focus or to see their posture, have the courtesy to not walk in between them and the mirror and break the train of thought.

Life: Like some of you, I have been a “gym When someone in the office is “on a rat” my entire life. Going to the gym roll” or a friend has created a great at least five days per week whether relationship, be supportive or at I’m in L.A. or out of town is simply least get out of the way and shut up. what I do. Here are some observations I’ve made. Even if you don’t exercise Gym: (What?!), see if these work for you: Use a towel to clean the bench after you have left your sweat on it. It’s Gym: your responsibility.

Mental Preparation—Have a better Life: attitude before you begin and you will When you make a mistake, apologize. have a better workout. Endorphins It’s the right thing to do. make the miles go faster and the weights lighter.

Gym: Life: Re-rack your weights when you are Mental Preparation—Going into a done with them. Don’t leave your selling presentation or a college test mess for someone else.

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Life: When you make a mess, clean it up.

Why should someone else have to see or deal with it? It’s your job.

Gym: Neuroscientists have discovered that when you focus on the muscle being used, there is an increase of 20%+ more circulation going to that muscle to grow and tone it.

Life: When you stay on task (focus on that activity being done—not multitask) you get more done efficiently and need to apologize less.

Gym: Keep the loud grunting sounds to a minimum.

Life: Keep the loud grunting sounds to a minimum.

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Gym: Spot the person who asks for help.

That doesn’t mean lift the weight for them. It means let them exert themselves to their maximum and add your vocal and physical support to allow them to grow.

Life: Show the way if you know it, but let the discovery, wonder and growth be experienced by the other-for everyone’s sake.

Gym: Read the body language of the other person. Get a sense of whether he or she is moving quickly and is time constrained and less conversation would be appropriate. Be attentive to the whole picture.

Life: Read the body language of the other Top Agent Magazine

“Pay your dues and get your money’s worth.” person. Because more communication is non-verbal than spoken, add your senses and instincts to see, hear and feel an experience or encounter. This is not to say make assumptions, but rather, to prompt you to ask a clarifying question if you find a difference between the words you hear and the message you feel.

Gym: At the time you are experiencing the greatest muscle exhaustion, you are gaining the greatest results. Stay with it a little longer. You’ll lift and do more, easier, the next time.

Life: When you’re frustrated and feel you are at the end of your patience or abilities, stick with it a little longer, look “outside the box” for other options. That’s where the greatest lifeskills are grown. You’ll handle things more easily without feeling the stress the next time.

Gym: Vary your workout routine every 4-6 weeks by using barbells, dumbbells and machines to keep up mental interest and to develop greater Top Agent Magazine

strength by stimulating muscles from different angles. Set goals of accomplishment.

Life: Plan to periodically learn something new, go someplace interesting or set goals that are bigger than your present abilities to create an interesting life and to force your own personal growth. Take a risk once in a while.

Interesting people do interesting things and are generally more fun to be around.

Gym: Pay your dues and get your money’s worth.

Life: Show up, pay attention, take positive action every time.

Gym: Take a shower!

Life: Take a shower!

Barry Eisen teaches personal development seminars and coaches Southern California top producing REALTORS®. “Your business will never grow more than you do” is the theme; self hypnosis and behavior modification are the tools for playing a bigger game. barryeisen.com, barryeisen@LA.twcbc.com 818-769-4300 21

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SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES

Real Estate Agents Must Avoid There is perhaps no greater marketing tool for agents these days than having a large presence on social media, but there is more to social media marketing than just opening an account and gaining followers. A lot of agents forget the social part of social media. It’s all about engagement, but it needs to be the right kind of engagement. This can often be the first impression potential clients or industry peers have of you, so make it count. There is no second chance to make a first impression, and that is especially true for real estate agents. Here’s just a few things you want to avoid.

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1 Using it to Vent

Social Media is a great place to complain and commiserate about things, but save that for your personal page. A real estate transaction is already a stressful ordeal, the last thing anyone wants is someone who seems like they’ll bring a negative energy to the process. Even worse?

Bad mouthing other Realtors® or listings. You’re selling yourself and your skills, so don’t sell anything that shows you in a bad light. Much like marketing a property, everything you put out should be professional and inviting.

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Lack of Consistent Branding

Yes, social media is about social engagement, but it’s also about creating brand recognition. While you don’t want it to be purely promotional, you are running a business, so create a consistent branding across all social media platforms. If you can afford a professional graphic designer to help you out with this, that’s great. But at the very least, have the same profile pic, cover image and highly visible contact information, across the board. And don’t forget to share links to your other accounts, some people prefer different social media applications.

3Not Posting Enough

It’s good to create a schedule of how many times you’ll be posting per day and to pick times when you might have the most engagement.

Don’t over do it, but three posts a day at the right time, tends to be a good goal. There are numerous tools on Facebook, for example, that

can let you see when interactions are the highest.

Stick to your schedule and adjust accordingly.

It’s also important to not just post your listings.

Be a resource for people who follow your page.

Post community events, or other informative articles that are relevant to home ownership.

Be a page they want to follow even when they aren’t buying or selling a property. They’ll remember you when the time comes.

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Not interacting With Your Followers

It’s called social media for a reason. The more you engage with your followers, the more they see you as a real person, and not just a marketing tool. Not only do you get to know your past clients and potential clients, on Facebook, engagement actually will make your posts seen by more people. So it’s a win/win.

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Not Sharing or Linking to Others

It might not seem like a good idea to not promote the blogs, pages or listings of other people, but it’s not only an excellent way to build goodwill, it will also increase your own presence when they reciprocate. So make a point to share posts and links for local businesses and even the blogs of your peers, if it’s a post that offers valuable insight into an expertise you don’t have. That will encourage them to share your posts and even your listings, which will increase your potential buyer pool. This is another incentive to create your own blog. Unique informative content is always of value, and more likely to be shared than promotional links.

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