One of the best parts about Facebook business pages are the ability to add custom tabs. For a while, real estate agents were somewhat limited to what type of tabs and apps were available specifically to them and their needs. Recently, we are seeing more and more companies come out with options and tabs specifically for Realtors’ Facebook pages. Just announced yesterday on their blog, Zillow has expanded its free package of Web tools and is now offering Facebook Tabs.

According to their blog,

“Zillow’s Facebook Tabs are a powerful informational and social-networking tool that can help you reach and connect with more clients and potential prospects on the largest social media network in the world.”

The New Zillow Facebook Tabs Include:

• Listings Tab
• Local Information Tab
• Contact Form Tab
• Ratings and Reviews Tab

What I really like about these tabs is that it allows a real estate professional to integrate their listings into their Facebook page in a very non-aggressive (and non-annoying) way. Now, agents can promote to their clients that their listings will be featured on Facebook (along with other online marketing portals) but the agent won’t have to spam him or her news feed with listings! I also love the Ratings and Reviews tab – great testimonials from clients used to just live on Zillow, can now be featured right on your Facebook page.

All of these tabs are FREE!

Here are two examples of two of the tabs available:

Listing Tab

Ratings and Reviews Tab

How to Install:

To install the tabs, just go to http://Zillow.com/Webtools and click on Facebook Apps.  Select the tab(s) you wish to display on your page, then follow the simple installation instructions. Zillow’s Facebook Tabs will only work on business and community pages — they will not work on personal Facebook profile pages.

What do you think? Have you installed any of these yet or plan to? I’d love your feedback, post a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

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Guest blog post by Daniel Weisman

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter can be great tools to cost-effectively increase your vacation rental bookings. These services are free to use but difficult to use effectively, so many people give up before they give social networks enough time to yield results.

Yet investing time and effort in developing a “social presence” can be extremely rewarding because you can use these channels to advertise for free to a highly targeted audience. Facebook boasts 500,000,000+ users, and your guests – past, present and future – are among them. Here are some tips for reaching the right audience and converting “fans” and “followers” into bookings.

1. Your guests already like you… you just have to remind them

Word-of-mouth has long been the best marketing tool for vacation rentals. If I loved my cottage rental on Martha’s Vineyard last summer, then I would be happy to recommend that cottage to my friends who are going there next summer.

Social media makes it easy to interact with a network of supporters who will promote your rental on their networks. If you haven’t already done so, start by creating a Facebook page and a Twitter account for your rental.  Next, invite your past guests to “like” your Facebook page and “follow” you on Twitter. Make it easy for your friends and customers to “like” you by including links to your social profiles in emails and on your website.

Once you build up your fan base, you will have the chance to engage with your customers regularly. Every time they see your content, they will remember the great time they had in your rental.

A great example of a property owner with an awesome word of mouth network is La Casetta del Borgo (@CasettaDelBorgo). This Tuscan villa has nearly 2,000 Twitter followers and receives new bookings constantly.

2. Be more than a landlord… be an expert and a person

Once you’ve started to build your network, you should make yourself a valuable friend. Don’t spam your followers with advertisements – focus on providing value instead. For example, you’re probably a local expert on great things to do, restaurants, and hidden gems in your destination so why not share those on your Facebook & Twitter pages?

Creating valuable content that your audience not only reads, but passes on to their friends increases your credibility. Ruth Shipley, of Social Media Examiner explains,

“if [your audience] gets to know you, like you and trust you, they might just become your customer for life.”

Let people in on local secrets like the best place to buy lobsters in Maine or the location of an amazing hidden beach, and your customers will think of you before looking anywhere else to find a rental.

Check out Cottage Guru Heather Bayer (@cottageguru) for her expert advice on property management, travel and marketing. Her 4,000 followers keep up with her and share her advice, and she rarely advertises her properties directly.

3. Sharing is caring… show that you care

Social media experts will tell you that these marketing channels are all about engagement. So how do you engage your network? Ask them to participate. The easiest way to get someone to share a message or Tweet is to ask explicitly: “share this” or “leave your thoughts in the comments.”

Participation is where you get real value from your social networks. Direct value comes from the network itself: when one of your Facebook friends comments on your wall or shares your content, that action will appear in their friends’ news feeds. Similarly, when someone replies to one of your Tweets, that response is visible to all of their followers. In other words, your shared posts reach your audience plus all of the sharers’ audiences – that’s pretty good reach for free advertising.

Indirectly, shared content can impact your search engine rankings. A recent blog post by the experts at seomoz.org showed significant correlation between Facebook shares and high Google search rankings. Getting fans to share your content could help you move up in the Search engine results!

4. Network… it’s also a verb

It’s often easy to get carried away by the “social” aspect of social networks and forget about networking. In addition to reaching out to past guests and friends, you should also be using Facebook and Twitter to connect with your peers. You can learn a lot from keeping up with folks in related businesses, and you can even engage these compatriots in productive discussion.

How do you find your peers? Start with simple searches. If you rent an apartment in Chicago, then you’re definitely going to have to make restaurant recommendations. Search Facebook and Twitter for “Chicago Restaurants,” then start making friends. Now, if you recommend one of the restaurants that follows you to a guest, that restaurant will know… they’ll also know what vacation rental to recommend when a patron from out of town asks about a great place to stay.

If you want to get more advanced in your networking, then I recommend checking out Twibes. This site helps form twitter groups based on common interests. It’s a quick way to search Twitter for like-minded friends.

Facebook and Twitter are not going to replace conventional online vacation rental marketing. You should also list your rental property on leading vacation rental sites like FlipKey.com to attract new guests. However, with an increasing number of travelers taking advice from friends online, and with search engines using social information to generate results, Facebook and Twitter are great channels to develop relationships and find new guests through word-of-mouth. Most importantly, it’s completely free to start using social media, so you will get nothing but positive returns once you get online and spend some time getting social.

About the author: Daniel Weisman is a Social Media Specialist at FlipKey.com, which features more than 100,000 vacation rental properties around the world.  You can read more of his writing on The FlipKey Blog and connect with him on Twitter @flipkey.

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When times are tough, it may be time to get creative!

Ad company Adzookie, a free mobile advertising company, is doing something unique, not only to advertise themselves, but to help homeowners pay their mortgage.  They’re turning houses across America into billboards.

Romeo Mendoza, CEO of Adzookie.com, was struck with the idea while driving his daughter home from school.

“I saw signs outside homes saying ‘bank-owned’ and suddenly I felt for the families I imagined lived there,” said Mendoza.

“I was trying really hard to think of ways to help …then it hit me. Our company buys advertising all the time.  We could buy ad space on their house and pay them for it.”

In fact, for Adzookie.com the idea of helping others is part of their corporate infrastructure.

“Adzookie.com is a free mobile advertising company. We help local businesses reach new customers by placing free advertisements where ads get noticed the most, on smart phones,” says Mendoza.  “Promoting our business in a way that’s outrageous and fun just make sense.”

Adzookie.com is looking for homes that are owned and not rented or leased. The entire outside of the house is painted, minus the roof, the windows and any awnings.  Painting takes approximately 3 – 5 days. Adzookie.com will pay the mortgage every month for as long as the house is painted, which can be up to a year.   Homeowners can apply at http://adzookie.com/paintmyhouse.php

Ask Mendoza how many homes his company plans on painting and he’ll tell you, “As many as we can.  We’re promoting our free local mobile ad network so the more neighborhoods the better.”

On Tuesday evening, when we they launched the campaign they received approximately 1000 applications from homeowners.  As of this Wednesday, they have received at least another 3000. 90% are from homeowners under financial difficulty.  One of the applications  is from a homeowner that lives across the street from the Department of Homeland Security!

What do you think of this wacky but creative idea? Love it? Hate it? Leave me your feedback below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Social Media Director, Inman News, @katielance

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Guest post by Holly Schwartz, Realtor and Marketing Director at Torelli Realty

(Can’t view the video about? Click here!)

Agent Reboot is coming to Orange County on March 30, 2011 and that’s a beautiful thing for real estate agents in the area. Orange County is one of the largest markets for real estate agents and now the event is right in our own backyard!

Call me a Groupie…

Yes, I have been to 4 agent reboots over the last year and there’s good reason for that… Agent Reboot is educational! It’s motivational! It’s technological! And it’s great for networking! In one day real estate agents have the opportunity to hear from some of the best resource providers and experts in the industry. Inman News is on the cutting edge of technologies that are defining and monopolizing the real estate workplace. Learning about how to maximize these products is priceless. One day conferences with this caliber of talent and information can’t be overlooked. For under $50 your expectations will be surpassed for sure!

Bring It!

Orange County and SoCal agents, don’t be left behind. Sign up, bring a notebook (or better yet an iPad!) and get ready to get schooled in Real Estate Tech 101. And make sure to visit me before the day is over so i can get you on video sharing a tip or two! (I am proud to be an official ambassador for Agent Reboot OC, AKA Agent Reboot Cheerleader!!!)

Contact Holly on Twitter @hollyschwartzOC or on Facebook – 365 Things to Do in Costa Mesa

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For quite some time time now, I have loved Twitter. I love how fast-paced it moves, I love the friends I have made on Twitter, I love the real-time updates, I love being able to get a birds-eye view onto events and world news, and I love that it’s a great platform to drive traffic to our website.

But, I haven’t always loved Twitter. I joined Twitter in 2007 because I had heard about it from someone I knew who suggested I sign up. I distinctly remember sitting at my cheap “put-it-together-yourself” Target desk with my old Dell computer, in our townhouse that we were living in at the time, typing in “twitter.com.” I remember signing up, and then blankly looking at the screen thinking “OK, now what?” I saw a few people I knew on Twitter – most had only posted once or twice. On the screen in front of me was the big empty box to type something profound in. Only 140 characters to say something good. So what did I type? I don’t remember my exact words but it was something about the fact that I was eating my favorite donut.

Profound.

My, how times have changed.

After that first non-momentous tweet, I tweeted here and there, but honestly felt like I didn’t know what I was doing or what was really the point. And then people I didn’t know me started “following me” – that creeped me out! Why were these strangers “following me” and what the heck does “following me” really mean?

I look back at that time and giggle, because now so much of my life revolves around Twitter. Twitter is one of the first things I check in the morning and then throughout the day. Since my job is to manage all the social media channels for Inman News, I am constantly checking my account, our company accounts, any pertinent hash-tags, and more.

As of this writing I am almost up to 1,500 followers and have certainly come a long way since that first tweet about donuts.

I realize though that there are still a large number of people in the real estate industry who don’t understand Twitter or why they should care to be on it.

I want to step back, and out of real estate for a minute, and give you a bigger picture of why you should care about Twitter.

I recently came across this fascinating page on Twitter’s blog: Twitter Tales: Our Users, Their Stories. Within this page, are links to stories of people who have used Twitter in all different industries across the world:

Each one of these sections contains poignant, funny, and interesting stories about how people have used Twitter. I know personally, as soon as I heard about the earthquake in Japan and the Tsunami warnings – I went on Twitter to get local, bay area information. Not one local newscast was broadcasting at 2 am when I first heard about this – but there were people tweeting and sharing good information!

I want to share with you a few amazing snip-its from this Twitter blog:

1. If you click on “Twitter is Sweet,” you’ll hear Jessie Oleary from Seattle, @cakespy’s story:

“Using Twitter as her primary marketing tool, Jessie has mastered the art of creating clever, entertaining updates and understands how to make Twitter work for her. “I think that people see through it and get tired of it really quickly when all you do is push your product,” she explains. “It’s often more interesting to give them some of the back story via Twitter – in addition to updating them about relevant news and products.”

2. Click on “Twitter is about Art,” to hear about how Victor Samra, the manager of @MuseumModernArt uses Twitter:

“Victor paid close attention to what resonated with followers through examining re-tweets and replies. In addition, he used the account as a listening tool by searching for relevant art terms starting with simple words such as “art” and “museum,” to get a feel for what people on Twitter were talking about. He looked at the replies to see what @MuseumModernArt fans wanted to know.

Victor also started conversations with fans, visitors, and institutions through replies and posting questions on the account. He sought out and followed a wide range of artists, organizations, and other notable people in the art world, thereby becoming a well-connected resource.”

3. Click on “Twitter is about Community,” to read about Ravi Pina, a techie 32-year old who created the Twitter account, @Caltrain

“I’ve been a Caltrain commuter since I moved here in 2006,” says the techy 32-year-old who travels daily to work in Silicon Valley from San Francisco. Like many other riders, Ravi quickly grew tired of unpredictable delays. “Coming home was a particular pain-point, especially in 2007 with a spike in delays sometimes up to two hours or more. Something had to be done.”

When Ravi started tweeting from @Caltrain, his idea for the account was simple: technology-equipped riders could send an email from their phone or computer to a special address Ravi managed. The first 140 characters of the email’s subject line would be broadcast from @Caltrain as a Tweet to all of the account’s Twitter subscribers. With over 4,000 followers and more than 400 approved contributors, the account has clearly taken off. For some, it’s become an invaluable source of information throughout their workday commute.”

Each of these three stories is unique, but they all have 3 common threads about how they use Twitter:

1. Their tweets are clever, timely, and informative
2. They have become a well-known, well-connected resource
3. They engage with their followers in conversation

Anyone reading this who is a real estate agent, marketing director at a brokerage, branch manager, broker/owner or even a CEO or President of a real estate company can learn from these real-life examples.

Before you dive into Twitter, I think it’s really importatant to ask yourself these questions:

• What do I have to tweet about that is interesting? What do I like to read online? Would my audience be interested in that?
• What can I tweet about that reflects my personality but also show my expertise?
• How can I be the well-known and well-respected resource without being pushy?
• How can I be clever and unique?
• Where can I get interesting content? My own writing? Other online resources?

If you are in a management position at a brokerage, you may even want to have a big brainstorm meeting where you get everyone in one room who is a key voice in the company. Ask these questions and brainstorm on a whiteboard the answers. It is really interesting to hear what the marketing department says versus the transaction department, versus the executive staff, shareholders, etc.

Once you have a brainstorm of what and why you want to tweet – the next big question will be who. Who will manage the voice of the brand, who will develop a day to day plan, who will monitor the account and reply to people in a timely manner? Even if you are not a broker/owner but just a hard-working real estate agent working day in and day out to do the best possible job for your clients, I know that you can still benefit from doing this exercise.

I’d love to hear your Twitter success stories. Have had successful transactions that you can attribute to Twitter? Have you made priceless connections because of Twitter? Have you expanded your network and reach because of Twitter? Have you become a better writer because of Twitter? What is your success story? Share your story below and we may re-publish it here on FOREM!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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Let’s face it, a lot of people have a Facebook business page, and even more real estate agents and brokers are getting one too. I think this is fantastic, but are you one of those people who set up a page, posted a few times, and asked yourself, “ok, now what?”

Here are 3 simple things you can do TODAY to get more fans and get your page rocking!

1. Promote your page! You need to make it a part of your plan to promote your page. You can’t just build a page and then – VOILA success! You need to be a promoting machine. How?

• Add a Facebook “like” badge to the homepage of your website site and blog
• Add a link to your page into your email signature – one of my favorite services for doing this is WiseStamp
• Ask your Facebook friends to support you. Only do this periodically so not to annoy them! (once a quarter is more than enough!)
• Promote it on Twitter 3-5 times a week.
• Promote it on LinkedIn 1-2 times a week.
• Send out a special email invite to your clients, vendors, colleagues and sphere once a quarter. Also, in every email have a Facebook link so they can go right to your page.
• Talk about it on your listing appointments, open houses and networking events.

2. Post often! You need to post 2-3 times a day – every day. There is no “secret sauce” – you just need to do it. Ask questions to start a conversation, post interesting news stories, post market reports, post funny stories. Whatever is interesting to you may be interesting to your fans. Make it a point to post multiple times a day. The great thing is you can use TweetDeck or HootSuite to plan out your posts so you don’t have to be on Facebook every moment of the day!

3. Post a variety of content! Post links to news articles from Google News, post cool videos from YouTube, ask questions, post videos of your neighborhood or homes you see on tour – change it up and have fun with it. Don’t over think what you need to post! Get creative and start googling content that is interesting to you. Keep a punch list of all the things you could talk about or promote on your page. What do your clients ask you all the time? You should constantly be looking at your local news sites or downtown associations and post some of their “feel good local content’ on  your page.

Here is a great example of a real estate Facebook page – I met Chuck and Christina Ethridge at Agent Reboot Seattle last week and they are doing some great things on their Facebook page: screen-capture video, yummy recipes, asking and answering questions, posting cool new listings, and so much more! The included “Ask the Seasoned Agent” video blogs into their page too which I absolutely love. Nice job guys!

So, now that you know what to do – the only thing left to do is TO DO IT!! No time to start like the present!

Or, are you already doing this? Either way, I’d love your comments and feedback – leave me your thoughts below!

P.S. A huge THANK YOU for “liking” the FOREM Facebook page – as of last night we surpassed the 5,000 mark!! I truly believe we have the best fans in the industry. Thank you for making FOREM what it is today!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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Get a crash course in everything you need to know about real estate technology in one six-hour day. Agent Reboot will teach you the latest in mobile technology, Facebook for business, video marketing, lifestyle branding, WordPress blogging, iPad strategies and much more!

March 9th: 8 AM – 3 PM
Washington State Convention Center

Register now >> (use code ‘WKLYHL’ to receive discount)

Check out this video that will tell you what you can expect from Agent Reboot! (click here to view)


Hear some of the best industry experts all in one day at Agent Reboot Seattle:

• Daniel Rothamel, Founder of RealEstateZebra.com, @realestatezebra
• Chris Smith, Co-Creator, Tech Savvy Agents, @techsavvyagent
• Charlie Engel, Vice President of Sales – Real Estate, Oodle, Inc, @oodle_RE
• Darin Persinger, Founder, ProductivityJunkies.com @socialcruiting
• Sherry Chris, CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, @sherrychris
• Brad Andersohn, Outreach Manager, Zillow.com, @Zillow
• John Robinson, Manager, Partner Relations Zillow.com, @Zillow
• Dale Chumbley, Realtor, Prudential NW Properties, @DaleChumbley
• OB Jacobi, President, Windermere Real Estate
• Ron Sparks, Managing Vice President, Coldwell Banker Bain, @RonSparks2010

View complete program here >>

Agent Reboot is a smart investment of your time and your money. For only $49 you will walk away from Agent Reboot with strategies you can implement in your business immediately. Also, you’ll get a chance to network with some of the top agents and brokers who live and work in Washington state!

Save $50, register today and pay only $49!

Register now >> (use code ‘WKLYHL’ to receive discount)

See what people had to say about Agent Reboot last year:

“Agent Reboot was an invaluable way to encapsulate what the relevant technology trends are for the individual real estate agent today. As an owner of a brokerage, it was a no-brainer to encourage all of our agents to attend this event.”

“What a great day. In the first half hour I got my money’s worth. I’ll be at least a month processing all the information but I have already put 5 things into action. Thank you. Thank you.”

“It was up to date and informative beyond my expectations. I liked the group forum on stage and adding local experts so it doesn’t seem out of touch for the area.”

Not in the Seattle area? Check out the complete list of cities we will be at this year (24 total!)

Also, check out the latest happenings with all the Agent Reboot events on Facebook and Twitter!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News, @katielance

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Exactly 3 years ago yesterday, Seth Godin posted a blog post entitled: Advice for real estate agents (quit now!)

First of all I love Seth’s blog. I love his wisdom and take on technology, business and the world around us. So when I saw he specifically wrote an article for real estate agents, my ears perked up.

He begins by saying:

“You should quit selling real estate.

I’m serious.

Quit being an agent. Get a job doing something else.

Some of you have been waiting to hear that. My pleasure.”

Anyone who has ever worked in a real estate brokerage, knows that there are some people that just don’t belong in real estate.

We all know these agents:

• The part-timers
• The ones who thought they could “get rich quick”
• The ones who act like the stereotypical smarmy salesperson
• They got their license to sell a house to their mom/grandparents/kids/friends
• The ones who got into real estate to “try it out”
• The one who comes to the office to “work” all day and spend most of the day chit-chatting with everyone, having lunch, and updating their Facebook status.

Those people probably don’t belong in real estate and it boggles my mind why any broker/owner would keep them as part of the “team” – but that in and of itself is a whole other topic!

If you look inside the walls of any brokerage across America, you are probably going to find some of these agents. For those people, they should take Seth’s advice above.

But I know, the readers that read FOREM, are not those type of agents.

I am so proud of the caliber of agents and brokers that read FOREM and Inman News. The people that read our blog and our news, work harder and smarter than just about anyone in the industry.

You are the one who are up early working, squeezing in phone calls and emails to clients throughout the day, you understand the need for technology and embrace it, you multi-task on your iPhone, Droid or iPad, you make time for educational training events and networking, you have a social media plan in place, you care about details, you are extremely skilled in valuation, you “go to bat” for your clients every day, you know when to ask for help, you have a strategic marketing and branding plan, you spend your money wisely, you are genuine and understand that this is a people business, and you understand that money can’t buy everything.

In addition –  you are not whiners.

As Seth says,

“Whining is not an option.

In fact, I think this is an extraordinary opportunity for you.”

A few years ago when many agents started leaving the business, many of the successful agents cheered and said “FINALLY!” I know I did!

Three years have passed since Seth’s original blog post was published and a lot has changed in the industry, but many things have stayed the same.

How do you differentiate yourself?

Seth says two things:

Number 1:

“Become the expert in what you do. Which means micro-specialization. Who is the single-best agent for condos in your zip code? Or for single family homes for large families? Who is the one and the only best person to turn to if you’re looking for investment property in this part of town?

No, you can’t also do a little of this or a little of that. Best in your world means burning your other bridges and obsessing.”

I love that. Too many time we see agents try to be all things to all people. You see that everyday, right? The “Expert in Foreclosures, REO’s, Short-Sales, 1st Time Home Buyers, Investment Properties, Luxury Homes, and More!”

Many agents think by being an expert in everything they are widening their net of prospective clients. They couldn’t be further from the truth. Narrow your focus and be the expert in the one area that you really are passionate about. Become laser focused about that one area and stop trying to catch “all the fish in the sea.”

Think you have no time? Seth says,

“Of course you have that time available.  Invest that time in building up your expertise and becoming the person people who don’t even like you turn to for insight.”

Number 2:

“The second asset to build is permission. It turns out (according to the NAR) that 91% of all Realtors never contact the buyer or the seller of a home after the closing. Not once. Wow. Someone just spent a million dollars with you and you don’t bother to call or write?”

Read that again – now granted this was written 3 years ago, but still…. 91% – unbelievable!

“The opportunity …is to find, one by one, the people who would benefit from hearing from you and then earn the right to talk to them. Earn the right to send them a newsletter or a regular update or a subscription to your blog. NOT to talk about what matters to you, but to give them information (real information, not just data) that matters to them.

The opportunity, in other words, is to stop waiting around for the phone to ring and instead figure out how to do what you do best… connect buyers and sellers in a way that makes them both confident.”

I love that: “Stop waiting around for the phone to ring.”

The most successful agents are the ones that make something happen, that don’t just accept mediocraty because of “the market” or “the economy.” They push through – they make more calls, they door knock, they reconnect with their past clients and new prospects on Twitter and Facebook, they do whatever they need to do to get business. They understand the fundamental key in success – it isn’t luck – it’s hard work.

I always have said that – you may be smarter than me, but I will out work you any day of the week.

This has never been more true for real estate agents and brokers than it is now.

“Some of you will stick with the standard business card with the standard photo, the standard office and the standard ad strategy and the standard approach to making the phone ring. It’s going to be a long haul if that’s your route.

I’m betting, though, that the best of you will end up with a business model that will survive, thrive and prosper. Best time to start is right now.”

There is no better time than right now to shake it up, to do things you’ve never done before, to work harder and smarter, to narrow your focus and to achieve the success you deserve to achieve. Don’t let one more day, or one more negative market report get you down. Make this the year – YOUR best year ever!

I’d love your thoughts on this post. Agree or disagree? Please leave me your comments and feedback below. Thank you again to Seth Godin for his timeless advice!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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It seems like the hot topic all over the technology news channels is – “When will the new and improved version 2 of the iPad be revealed?”

According to a Wall Street Journal article today,

“The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad, these people said. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, they said.”

“The new iPad will initially be available through Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., but not Sprint Nextel Corp. or T-Mobile USA in the U.S., according to some of the people familiar with the matter.”

The big rumor swirling is that the iPad 2 is in production and be released in April 2011. Since the iPad’s release, Apple has sold 14.8 million units. The cost rumors are that it could be anywhere from $499 – $899.

So the question is – will real estate agents buy the new version of the iPad? If you have one, will you upgrade? Personally, I can’t wait for Version 2. Historically, Apple products get better and better with each generation – so hopefully, this one will be even better than the original.

It is truly amazing how the iPad has and will revolutionize so many industries – especially the real estate industry. At Real Estate Connect and Agent Reboot the rooms were full of agents taking notes, blogging, tweeting – all from their iPad. More and more agents are using the iPad in their listing presentations. Real estate professionals across North America have discovered tools like Evernote, Dropbox, Keynote and so many more that are available on the iPad and just make work faster, simpler, and more fun!

Want more of the Apple iPad rumors?

Here are a few great articles that I came upon today:

Would love your feedback about the iPad – what do you love the most about it? Will you be purchasing the new one? Leave me a comment below!

Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance

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Guest post by Veneeta Eason, Director, Worldwide Marketing Manager – Real Estate for Kodak.

If pictures are worth a thousand words, can you imagine how much a video is worth?  People are watching over 2 billion videos a day on YouTube.  Video creates a more personal connection, and if nothing else, that’s what Real Estate professionals do every day.   Video has the ability to increase your business, build better relationships, and amplify your credibility.  With today’s technology, it is easier than ever to capture great video.

Here are five easy ways to integrate video into your marketing efforts:

1.    Cover a Local Event. This is a powerful way to position yourself as an authority within your community.  The one who holds the microphone will naturally be perceived as the expert.  Examples of events are a parade, picnic celebration or school fundraiser.  Interview neighbors, dignitaries, teachers and students (with parent permission, of course).  There is an emotional connection to these types of events and what better place for you to be than in the midst of that positive connection.

2.    Interview Local Vendors. This is a low-hanging fruit opportunity to become the dominant video source for your area.  People in the community are looking for information on businesses within their community.  Restaurants, repair services, child-care facilities and dry cleaners are just a few examples.  Focus the interview on why the proprietor loves serving the community.  Be creative.  Offer an “Interview Corner” and feature one per week.   As viewers find these videos, they will find you too!   Here is a sample shot by our real estate group using a simple pocket video camera.

3.    Make a Video Testimonial. What sells you better than having real clients raving about how invaluable you were in the process of buying or selling a home?  At the closing, set your camera up on a tabletop tripod and simply ask the client to talk about their experience working with you.  Make it informal and have 3 or 4 questions prepared where they can offer up 20 second answers. These testimonials can be posted on your YouTube channel, your Facebook page, LinkedIn, and even mentioned in Twitter.

4.    Capture Home Tour Vignettes for Buyers. How often have you shown multiple homes to a buyer and they can’t distinguish one home from another or even remember what they saw?  Now you have to schlep them back to the same homes again.  As you walk through the homes, shoot quick videos of each home…what the buyer liked or didn’t like.  When you send the video to the buyer, they will inevitably share with friends and family…voila, viral marketing for you.

5.    Become the Go-To Expert for Real Estate. You can provide information on market trends, short sale and foreclosure tips or interview an expert (i.e. lenders, title professionals, home inspectors).   For example, you can interview a home inspector highlighting what things to look for before buying a home.  Create an editorial calendar of the content you would like to provide, identify who you will team up with (if necessary) and ask them to participate.

Creating video has never been easier.  To get started:

• Get a great pocket video camera like the new KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera. The KODAK PLAYTOUCH offers an external microphone jack, which will give you excellent sound quality. This is a “must have” feature for agent marketing videos.
• Shoot the video in 720p or 1080p High Definition. Use a tripod as it steadies the video and will allow you to have a natural stance behind the camera and frees up your hands to be in front of the camera.
• Easily edit your video using your camera’s on-screen editing features or import your video into video editing software. Some easy-to-use packages are Windows Movie Maker and iMovie.
• Post it on YouTube, and get a share icon to embed on your website and within your signature on your email.
• Tag all your videos properly. Use keywords that will help them get found on searches, and include the city names of the areas that you are marketing in.  A great free tool is YouTube’s Keywords Tool. Use it to research the most commonly used terms for your area.

Above all, remember to have fun. Sometimes we forget that behind every great agent and broker is an individual with family and friends.  You may not be able to generate business with the video you capture of those family and friends, but isn’t that what life is all about?

Don’t forget to have fun and keep your video camera handy for all of life’s incredible Kodak Moments.

To receive 20% off the KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera, visit www.kodak.com/go/redeal.

(Note to our readers: I was able to “play” with a KODAK PLAYTOUCH camera at Agent Reboot and Real Estate Connect NYC and it was a blast! It was super easy to use and I was able to get some great impromptu videos. Thanks Kodak! – Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance)

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