When I saw FOREM’s founder Joel Burslem on the Real Estate Connect NYC agenda, I knew it was a “must see” session. Joel gave a fantastic presentation on email marketing entitled “Email is not dead – The un-sexy but massively powerful tool marketers and communicators must master.”

I agree that email is definitely not dead – especially in the real estate industry. If I was a real estate agent today, I would make sure before I got on Facebook or Twitter, that one of my top priorities would be to set up a simple monthly email newsletter to my clients and sphere of influence. In 2011 – it is simpler than ever and there really are no excuses for not making this happen.

There were 5 key points that really stood out to me in Joel’s presentation:

1. “Forward this email to others.” In the body of the email include the text, “forward this email to others” as well as a call to action to subscrbe to the list (as people forward it, you want there to be a call to action for people to sign up.) Simple!

2. Test different designs and use a professional email platform (stop using Outlook!) Joel suggested two websites: Litmus.com and PreviewMyEmail.com to test and view different email designs and how they will be viewed in Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. I found this to be extremely important because so often emails that look one way in one account, look completely different in another email account. Didn’t realize this happens? Oh yes – it happens all the time!!

The beauty of technology today is you don’t need to hire a web designer to have awesome looking email marketing templates. Invest in a professional email platform like Mail Chimp, Campaign Monitor or Tiny Letter. Why? They guarantee delivery and they can track your open rates, click throughs and forwards. STOP using Outlook for your email marketing! You may not realize this but many times emails coming from Outlook get blocked or end up in junk mail.

3. Always be asking yourself, “How can I grow my list?” This is a great reminder for any real estate professional. 100 top-quality people that know and trust you are worth 100 times more than a list of 1000 names you purchased or acquired. Personally, if I were a real estate agent, I would look at every opportunity to grow my lists: associations I belong to, colleagues, friends of friends, mom’s clubs, people I meet and connect with on Facebook and Twitter, open houses, networking events, and the list goes on and on. My advice – set a goal: how many people are on your list now and how many could you have by June 1? How about Dec. 1?

Are you saying right now, “oh I really need to update my list” – well join the club! I think every real estate agent says this. Be the agent that does something about it. Spend 2 hours on a Sunday and clean up your list. Get it all into a database or at a minimum into Excel. You can’t start and email campaign without a list!

4. When you’re writing your emails, you should always ask yourself, “Who gives a shit?!” Joel actually did say this on stage and I absolutely love this. So many times in emails we go on, and on, and on, and on. Sometimes I feel like saying “is anyone out there? is anyone listening?” (“Bueller…. Bueller….. Bueller…..:)”)  Hire a professional writer if you need to for your email newsletters – just get it done!

5. Write killer headlines – obsess over it. Half of the reason people click on an email is because of who it’s from and the other half because of the subject line. Think of how you go through and delete emails – don’t you do the same thing? So don’t write something boring!

If you are an Inman Premium Member, you can watch Joel’s entire presentation here >>

Do you have any email marketing tips you’d like to share or just have a comment? I’d love your feedback below!

Stay tuned for more from Connect NYC!

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

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It’s late Sunday night as I write this, and I’m getting ready for the week ahead – the week post-Connect NYC. Among the stack of business cards and receipts are tons of notes taken in New York last week. These notes will turn into multiple FOREM blog posts because there was simply too much good content to put it all into one blog post.

This is me in Times Square last week for Connect NYC (I had one glove off so I could use my iPhone!)

Earlier today, I logged onto our site, Inman.com, to watch some of the Connect videos that had been uploaded. Some of the videos are already up on our site, and many more will be up there later this week. One of the things I love about coming home after Connect is being able to sit back, in the comfort of my own home, and watch videos from the sessions that I either a) missed or b) loved so much that I needed to see them again.

Here’s a 1 minute “freebie” to give you an idea of what Connect was all about!

I want to take a moment and give a completely unabashed plug for becoming an Inman Premium Member if only for the sole purpose of watching the Connect videos. I was blown away this year by so many of our speakers and panelists. And quite frankly, the content is so, so good.

As I was watching Brad Inman’s inspiring opening address about Central Park, and then David Carr’s (NY Times) completely candid, brutally honest and poignant message on stage, to Adam Hirsch’s (Mashable) humble manner and voice of real estate tech experience (who knew not only was he a total tech guru but has a real estate background?!) – I felt utterly compelled to whip open my computer and urge all of you reading to invest in an Inman Premium Membership. As you know I work for Inman News, but let me tell you from the bottom of my heart, that I think becoming a Premium Member is one of the best investments you can make in your business this year. It’s only $149 for a yearly membership. For basically $149 you can watch the entire conference online! Regardless if you were came to Connect or not, I highly, highly recommend that you become a member today – and of course in addition to the videos, you get a ton of other awesome benefits.

So, for this 1st post-Connect blog post, I’d like to share some of my big take-aways from one of my favorite parts of the conference – the Internet Marketing Workshop:

1. The first session in this workshop was all about web copy and forms – and getting right on target with our copy and forms. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking – “forms” – really?? Sounds boring right? I found this to be such a refreshing topic and so important for real estate brokers and agents to soak up.

• The first speaker was Kevin Hale, co-founder of Wufoo – a products that helps to create forms, payments and event registrations without knowing a single piece of HTML. Kevin did a fantastic job talking about forms and the psychology involved when someone fills out a form online and essentially becomes a lead for you. (side note: if you have never watched the 1000 Watt Consulting video “I am not a lead” you need to do so now – awesome, awesome reminder).
• Kevin talked a great deal about how to optimize forms on your website or blog, looking at label placement (single column v. double column), how many fields you should have, ‘page nation’ (having one page of forms or multiple), buttons, incentives (he recommended checking out RewardLevel.com which offers coupons or free services you can offer as incentives for your web visittors to fill out a form.), and the psychology when someone gets to your site to fill out a form.
• He recommended two sites I plan on checking out: ABTests.com and VisualWebsiteOptimizer.com – both help you determine what areas of improvement you have for your site and where your people are more likely to click!

2. Next up was Natalie Tomasso a journalist from WhichTestOne.com. Their whole site is devoted to showing marketers examples of AB tests, and asks the question “how good is your gut?” – which I think is brilliant!!

• Natalie talked about what true AB testing is -  to take your traffic and split it into two equal segments at the same time, and show them two different landing pages.
• She recommended Google Website Optimizer which is free (gotta love free!) to do this type of AB testing. She said the goal is to get a higher conversion rate with the same amount of traffic. I like that!
• As I’m sitting in this session I think this is a huge opportunity for real estate agents and brokers. After working in a real estate brokerage for many years, I know first hand that many website design decisions are made to make the agent happy, or for no other reason than it is “good enough” – but more often than not, it is a big guessing game, like playing a game of darts – and just hoping they stick to something. By taking the time to do AB tests, agents and brokers could have a true sense of what text or buttons makes the most sense and which ones convert!
• Are you getting a good amount of traffic but have a terrible conversion rate? Or wonder why no one is filling out your forms on  your site or contacting you? Then perhaps there is something simple you can change about your test. I encourage agents to do this – and if you do, please keep me posted, I’d love to hear your resutls!

And for those of you reading this that say ,“Well, most of my business comes from past clients and referrals and I don’t really get a lot of web traffic”…… to you, I say this: “WHAT IF YOU DID!!”

What if you did get more traffic?

What if for every 100 people that came to your site you were able to add 5 more into your database to market to? What if you had a strong referral business and a strong “lead” machine coming from your web site?

One of the best parts about Connect NYC is that it is in January – a time to give youself a fresh clean slate. I challenge you to make this the year you fix your website (say ‘no’ to bad clip art!) AND you start getting business from it!!

I have so many more notes to go through – I can’t wait to share them with you… stay tuned – more good stuff to come!

Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!

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

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Hey FOREM fans – can you believe that our next Real Estate Connect conference is literally less than two weeks away? Where has the time gone?!

I wanted to post a very special message on here and encourage you all to sign up and come out to Real Estate Connect® in NYC on Jan. 12-14th in the heart of Times Square. Many of you have already been to a Connect and I know can attest to the pure “awesomeness” that is Connect. The learning, the networking, the people you meet, and the ideas you come home with are priceless.

I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating again. Before I worked for Inman News, I had the good fortune of attending two Real Estate Connect conferences. The President of the real estate company I worked for paid for me and a few other colleagues to attend, and those two events were so impactful on me and my career.

When someone talks about the ROI of an event – I can say first-hand that coming to Real Estate Connect WILL make you more money. It will change how you think. It will propel you into doing bigger and better things, and working smarter with the best tools available.

As an attendee there were so many things I loved about Connect – the ‘intimate’ environment where you could go up to some of the most successful people in real estate and technology and shake their hand, introduce yourself and make a real connection.

I loved getting the “inside scoop” on what the hottest and newest companies were. I loved walking down Start-Up Alley and feeling like I was getting a sneak peak into the next big thing in real estate. I loved being able to meet the different exhibitors of companies I had heard about, see real-live demos, get my questions answered and so much more.

I love sitting in the general session with 1,500 people and feeling the excitement and anticpation as Brad Inman, the founder of Inman News would begin each session. I loved the awesome “bar stool” panel discussions where no questions are off limits and it’s ok to disagree and even make the whole room uncomfortable. I loved the amazing keynote speakers – many of whom were not from the real estate industry and would provide one or two nuggets that you’d scribble down or fear you’d forget.

I can’t fully put into words what its like to come to Connect – I can only hope that you will take my word for it, buy your plane ticket and sign up today before it’s too late. If you are fortunate to live in New York, then you have no excuse!! We will be right in your backyard. People from all over world come to this event – don’t let it pass you buy. If you truly want 2011 to be YOUR year, if you really need to get ahead of your competition (and who doesn’t right?) then you can’t afford not to be at Connect.

For a limited time, we have a special offer – it’s a 2 for 1. If you purchase your tickets to both Real Estate Connect NYC and San Francisco you will save $500 total! This is an amazing deal not to be passed up.

Here is the breakdown of the 2 for 1 offer:

• Real Estate Connect NYC – $899 (Jan. 12-14th 2011)
• Real Estate Connect SF – $399 (July 27-29th 2011)
• SPECIAL RATE: $1298*

If you have money left in your 2010 budget, act now to secure your spot at the two hottest real estate tech conferences and save $500.

If there was ever a year to go to BOTH Real Estate Connect conferences – 2011 is it.

REGISTER TODAY >> (use promo code ‘FOREM1229′)

Offer available for a limited time only.*

Questions about registration? Please email us at registration@inman.com

* You must register for both conferences to receive this special price. Offer expires 12/31/10 at midnight. These rates are not valid with any other offer.

See you in New York! Leave me a comment below – are you joining us? Have you been to a Connect before? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a comment below!

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

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Have you heard the news? Inman News’ Real Estate Connect is turning 15!

15 years ago Brad Inman welcomed a couple dozen leaders in real estate to join him in Sonoma County. That was the birth of what has evolved into the leading event for the most influential people in Real Estate. The next Real Estate Connect conference will be held in New York City from January 12-14, 2011 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in the heart of Times Square. We’ve lined up a couple great keynotes already with more to come:

• Mashable COO Adam Hirsch
• Patch.com CEO Warren Webster

You can see more program details on the event website: www.realestateconnect.com/nyc11.

To celebrate this milestone, Inman News is offering its biggest promotion yet – $500 off the new Premium Package at Real Estate Connect 2011.

Premium Package – An all-access pass from January 11-14, 2011 includes:

• Full access to the first 2011 Agent Reboot™ conference on January 11 (a $149 value)

• All Real Estate Connect sessions: Workshops, Keynotes, Innovation Tracks and Meetups

• Real Estate Connect Special Events and Conference Receptions

• Access to the Premium Lounge where you can relax, enjoy complimentary refreshments, take part in special activities and test drive the latest technologies

• One-year subscription to Inman News as a Premium Member

The standard price for this package is $1,099 but if you register by September 30, 2010 you will pay only $599.

You don’t want to miss out on this incredible opportunity to mingle with the best in the business and celebrate Real Estate Connects 15th Anniversary. Register now and save! This is the best deal you’ll get.

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This was my first time being “behind the scenes” with Inman News at Real Estate Connect NYC.  Having worked directly with agents and brokers prior to coming to Inman, this time at Connect I listened with a new set of eyes.

I kept thinking, “If I was a Realtor, what would be my big take-away from Connect?”

At opening session, Brad Inman talked about 2 things that caught my attention:
1.    The world is changing – real time search, location, news, comments, reviews, auctions and collaboration, and of course real estate.
2.    In this age of “digital addiction” take time to “look up” and connect with people face to face.

So taking those two things into consideration, if I was a Realtor – here would be the 2 big things I would implement ASAP into my business:

1.    Mobile technology. If I was a Realtor I would make sure that I had a mobile strategy in place. In his opening message, Brad Inman, Publisher, Inman News said, “One of the biggest shifts we are seeing is the increase in real time data.” Tools like mobile applications, Twitter and Facebook, are impacting how quickly information is distributed. Inman predicts that one of the big trends in 2010 will be mobile apps that are able to filter and organize this data. Real time search, real time location, real time agent feedback, and real time real estate listing information will be major trends we will see in 2010. “Those agents that adopt technology will close more transactions because they will be more efficient,” say Inman.

If I were a Realtor I would make sure I looked at things like:

• Does my brokerage have a mobile app? What about my MLS?
• Is it worth me investing in my own mobile app?  iSites, a new service launching today, allows you to take your website’s RSS feed and data and quickly transform it into a full-fledged iPhone app. It was created by Genwi, a service that combines aspects of RSS reader, social network and news filter. For just $25, iSites will create a customized iPhone and Android app for you.
• What type of local data can I have right at my fingertips on my mobile phone? Yelp is a great place to start. Foursquare is another great local app that is getting a ton of attention, especially after Dennis Crowley spoke at Connect – and we all had an “a-ha” moment!

Mike Mangino, Owner & President, Elevated Rails talked about some of the key apps to have on your mobile phone to help you do your business better:

• Navigation tool
• Access to your CRM tool
• A simple mortgage calculator app you can use with clients
• Social Media apps: TweetDeck, Tweetie 2 or Hootsuite, Facebook and Linked-In apps
• I’m adding to this list – Wordpress app – a must if your blog is hosted on WP.

2.    Connect with people face to face. One of the biggest challenges Realtors face is meeting new potential clients face-to-face. Now is the time to ‘look up!’

Scott Heiferman, co-founder and CEO of meetup.com was one of the final keynote speakers at Connect and talked about the power of connecting with people live and face to face. People are creating their own self organized groups.

There are 5.7 million Meetup.com members in nearly 59,000 local groups in more than 11,000 cities, according to the company’s site.

Agents can not only join a meetup for local real estate professionals, but they can connect with local real estate buyers groups and sponsor non-real-estate-related groups.

I love this concept – especially for an agent trying to break into a new market niche or community, or just for an agent trying to expand their sphere of influence, this is the perfect opportunity for them.

The message is: be the catalyst for community in your business – online and offline in 2010.

Stay tuned for more about Connect. Inman News will be publishing a comprehensive report next week. Also check out inman.com this week – videos are available for Inman Premium Members. Not a member? Sign up by this Friday, January 22nd and get a special rate of only $99 (reg. price $149)

Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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You can get 5,000 Twitter followers with no measurable benefit. You can blog until your fingers hurt with no readers.  Learn how to get measurable results from social media and increase your business for 2010!

FOREM members: you are invited to a BRAND NEW session at Real Estate Connect:

LIVE LABS: Building Brand and Influence Through Social Media: Selling Technology Solutions in Real Estate.

Thursday, January 14th 3-4pm

Register today and SAVE $100 off!! (use code “forem”)

Led by business development guru Paul Chaney, author of The Digital Handshake, you will learn how to get results, move beyond participation to engagement on the social Web, and measure your success.

During live labs you will get the opportunity to “roll up your sleeves” and mix it up with your fellow attendees at Real Estate Connect. Each Connect Lab starts with a presentation by an expert  leader aimed at giving you practical takeaways you can implement back at home. The second half of each Lab will focus on audience-generated discussion and debate facilitated by your leader. These sessions will deliver an intensive 90 minutes on the issue that matters most to you.

Get the social media “secret sauce” to reach potential clients and leads!

See you at Connect! 8 days left!

Register today and SAVE $100 off!! (use code “forem”)

Questions about registration?  Please contact us at registration@inman.com or by calling 800.775.4662 ext 143

View the complete conference program

p.s. Have you downloaded the ConnectNYC app yet? It is available for use on any smartphone. Go to http://connectnyc.boopsie.com on your mobile browser or for iPhone users, go to the iTunes App Store and search for ‘ConnectNYC’

posted by Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News

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Sign up for Real Estate Connect by between Monday, December 28th and Tuesday, December 29^th at midnight (PST) and you will be entered into a drawing to stay in Brad Inman’s suite at the Marriott Marquis Times Square! Brad will not be staying in the room

The winner will receive 3 nights free in Brad’s suite (January 12-14). The winner will be picked at random, and announced on Wednesday, December 30^th.

Register NOW! Use promo code “freesuite” to win!

Also, everyone who registers with this promo code “freesuite” will receive $100 off the current registration price.

DEADLINE: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29^TH AT MIDNIGHT (PST)!

View the full conference program

Questions? Contact Katie Lance at katie@inman.com

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Do you  hear the BUZZ in the air? This video is a great example of how FIRED UP people are about Real Estate Connect NYC January 13-15th, 2010.

Thanks @dcrealtorgirl for submitting this video! You rock!

See you at Connect!

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