Let’s talk, people. It’s my favorite time of the week. Gossip from the inter-webs… let’s go!
NAR Conference
First of all, NAR. National Association of Realtors annual conference is happening in my neck of the woods this year, Chicago! And because I KNOW none of you REALTORS® are procrastinators, you’ve already purchased your tickets to the event and booked hotels and planned your course schedule. Riiiiiight. Never fear, there is still hope for us procrastinator types… yes, I said “us”. Registration is still open, and there are several options for every budget. I’m not a huge fan of conferences, in general. But I think NAR has pulled out all the stops this year and created an intriguing line-up. I’m extremely excited to attend and see what cool new tech is out there right now. Plus, Chicago is one of my faves and what better reason to spend a few days there?!
Google’s Show and Tell
Google’s new tech launch has caught my eye today. As an Apple gal from way way back, before it was way way cool, I don’t purchase a lot of products outside of the Apple family. But danged if I don’t find myself jealous from time to time at the cutting edge products that are released from n0n-Apple brands. Two new products from the Google launch are calling to REALTOR® adaptation, IMHO.
To start, the Google Pixel Buds are amazing. The tech that is in those small buds is something from the future. The google assistant that is basically with you 24/7. Wanna know the weather, time, etc, etc? Just ask your headphones. Wanna order something on Amazon, ask your headphones. Curious about a home on Zillow, ask your headphones. Wanna hear some motivating music before you start cold-calling leads? Ask your headphones. The google translate feature is blowing my mind. With these ear buds, they’ll translate in real time a foreign language. If you’re someone that travels a lot or deals in international real estate, get these!
The Google Clips are also pretty cool. It’s like a virtual assistant for your candid photography. It’ll shot photos of things it thinks you’d want to see. Great way to get some social media shots while you’re out and about with clients or just to get that inside look at the real estate life, without actually having to STOP said life to shoot a pic. I’m all about things that free up my time and my hands.
Pinterest Launches Paid Ads
It’s an interesting time in the social media world as algorithms continue to evolve, and users become more demanding and sophisticated. Pinterest is a space that I don’t see a lot of real estate agents utilizing to it’s fullest. I, personally, have not done so myself. I use it personally (every day), but have yet to capitalize on it for business. What a great, cool space for those who are photo driven. As an agent, you could curate collections of home decor, house plans, seasonal decor, holiday party ideas, home staging, etc. The ideas are endless and opportunities are great. Pinterest launched a new Paid Ads feature recently and I think it’s worth looking at for agents.
I follow the genius ladies at Bloguettes and they point out that Pinterest Ads do the following:
Autoplay: Videos play automatically as viewers are scrolling. It’s attention grabbing and reels them in without forcing them to click before they see any action.
Payment: Pinterest has incentivized ad creators to create good, QUALITY content by lowering the price of an ad based on how many people watch the ad. More views = less money. Pretty cool. First time I’ve seen this kind of incentive and I love the idea.
Retargeting Options: If someone saw your video, you can target that person with follow-up of some kind to really speak to them and keep their interest. It’s like tracking on steroids.
Great tool and lots of cool ways to use it if you’re building your real estate brand.
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Be sure to check out some of this new tech. If you’ve seen or heard something noteworthy on the web this week, drop me a comment below so I can check it out too!
Cheers,
Stacey
