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	<title>The Astute Agent</title>
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		<title>Agent Branding and the Role of the Brokerage</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/agent-branding-and-the-role-of-the-brokerage/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/agent-branding-and-the-role-of-the-brokerage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 17:45:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Foundational Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Branding]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2736</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Toronto has one of the most competitive real estate landscapes in North America. I don’t think this comes as a surprise to the agents who follow this blog. In such a hypercompetitive market, an agent needs to stand out from the crowd, and strong, distinctive, well-executed personal branding is one excellent way to accomplish that. It is a brokerage’s job to help their agents do this right, not just meld them with the brokerage’s own brand. We don’t believe in forcing everybody into a green box. What we believe in is working hand-in-hand with agents to figure out where they want to take their business and the branding that will help them get it there, and then using our team of designers and marketers to help execute that plan at the highest level, ensuring consistency at all touchpoints Have you ever heard the saying ‘You are judged by the company you keep’? I think that is how a brokerage needs to approach its agents’ branding. A brokerage’s brand is nothing if not strengthened by having agents who have strong individual brands that mean something to their target market. Here are some samples of agent brands we have developed: Sage Agent&#8217;s Branding Samples Great design is a must these days. Apple is as much a marketing firm as it is a technology company. Consumers just expect it. Real estate loves to lag behind other industries and I think the area of design is no exception &#8211; and therein lies the opportunity. There is a low bar for agents to step over in order to distinguish themselves from the competition. Just think about the last time an agent’s flyer came through your front door. Did their branding and the level of design of the piece impress you or did it make you cringe? Living in a condo I get them all the time. I am tempted to start a Pinterest board to show off what not to do. Don’t get me wrong: I believe a brokerage needs to have a strong brand that speaks to the general market. And yes, there needs to be consistency between an agent’s brand and their brokerage’s brand. But I think consistency doesn’t necessarily have to mean that the agent’s branding has to be identical to that of the brokerage. I believe the consistency needs to be in the quality of design and the execution. &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>Intermediate Instagram For Toronto Real Estate Agents Part Two</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/intermediate-instagram-for-toronto-real-estate-agents-part-tw/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/intermediate-instagram-for-toronto-real-estate-agents-part-tw/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 15:39:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[instagram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2723</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; If you read my last blog posts on Instagram (Intermediate Instagram for Toronto Real Estate Agents Part One), you will have a pretty good understanding of how to promote a listing using Instagram. In this post, I am going to give you some tips and tricks on how to build your brand on Instagram. Building your brand on Instagram: 1) When posting on Instagram, post about yourself; who you are and what interests you- this is, after all, what your branding is about: you! Think about what you want prospective clients to see about you. What is the image you want to portray? However, this should not just be about you as a real estate agent. Post a picture of the new restaurant you went to last night or the Blue Jays game you&#8217;re at right now. Show people that you have more interests and hobbies than only real estate. 2) Don&#8217;t be afraid to ask people for their advice. For example, if you are brainstorming about different logos for your brand, post a picture comparing the two and ask your followers what they think. People love to give their opinions and be a part of social media; they will comment on your photo. This shows that you can relate to people and aren&#8217;t afraid of asking others for their opinions. 3) Use hashtags. You will show up in more searches if you use hashtags appropriately. For example, if you&#8217;re posting a photo of the delicious meal you had at the new restaurant in Cabbagetown, use hashtags such as #cabbagetown #toronto and the name of the restaurant. Avoid putting too many words in a hashtag- such as #thiswasadeliciousmeal &#8211; as that decreases the likelihood of someone searching that hashtag and finding you. Also, be aware of the hashtags that people use frequently, such as on Thursdays, people post old photos and hashtag #tbt or #throwbackthursday. Also, if you are posting something from a few days ago, you would hashtag #latergram &#8211; implying that you didn&#8217;t take the photo at that moment. (Why does that matter, you ask? Instagram is meant as a constant feed of what you are doing right now, hence Instagram) 4) There is a small &#8216;about me&#8217; section on the profile page. Include a sentence or two about yourself- again, not just that you are a real estate agent &#8211; people like to include their passions and hobbies. You can also include a link to your website or blog. 5) Lastly, post things that people will actually be interested in. Don&#8217;t shamelessly promote yourself and your branding. In order to build your brand, you actually have to not only post about your brand, you have to post about yourself as a whole. Happy Instagramming! Follow us on Instagram @sagerealestate #sagerealestate]]></description>
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		<title>Intermediate Instagram For Toronto Real Estate Agents Part One</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/intermediate-instagram-for-toronto-real-estate-agents-part-one/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/intermediate-instagram-for-toronto-real-estate-agents-part-one/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 15:16:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[instagram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2708</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; I am about to break one of my social media rules. Typically I warn agents off of using social media to promote their listings. However, I believe Instagram is an exception. I have long held the opinion that good photos are the corner stone of marketing any listing. Because of the photo centric nature of Instagram I believe that when done properly it can be used to help in the promotion of your listings. Here are a couple of tips and tricks on how to promote your listings using Instagram: 1) Focus on just one unique aspect of the listing. Instagram even helps you do that because photos have to be in a square format, which encourages a focal point such as the beautiful sink in the kitchen of your new listing rather than the kitchen as a whole. Focusing in on certain details when taking pictures of your listings not only makes it more appealing for people to follow you, but it is your chance to show off the home through your eyes. 2) Add a filter. When you upload your photo, you can choose from a variety of different filters for instance you can give it a retro look. This makes the photo a little more aesthetically pleasing, which makes it more enjoyable for those looking at your photos. 3) Add a border. When uploading your photo to Instagram, you have the option to include a border around the photo. Again, this gives the photo a different feel, making it more aesthetically pleasing. 4) Make a collage. There are also other apps you can download specifically made for Instagram to create collages of photos. The most popular one is PhotoCollage. So if there are a number of unique features that you want to show off you can do so with the PhotoCollage app.. 5) Place on the map. When you upload a photo, you can include a map of where you took the photo. So when you load a picture of your listing, be sure to include the map, making it easier for people to know exactly where your listing is! 6) Comment and use hashtags. Hashtags are what people search by on Instagram. For example, if someone wanted to search for photos of renovated kitchens they would look under hashtags #kitchen #renovated, even #renovatedkitchen. Be sure to include hashtags with your photo so that people are able to pull you up in searches. Hashtags only work with letters, not symbols, and don&#8217;t put too many as that gets annoying! 7) Dont only promote listings. The last thing to be aware of when promoting your listing is to make sure that you are not shamelessly promoting your listing. Don&#8217;t only post about your listing and how great it is. Although your photos may be aesthetically pleasing and have all the right hashtags, people will bore of you if you only post about the same thing over and over. People want to know that you are a dedicated, passionate person and real estate agent, not simply a money-grubbing real estate agent. Stay tuned for Intermediate Instagram Part II: Building Your Brand. Follow us on Instagram @sagerealestate #sagerealestate &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>Should You Use Your Brokerage Email Address?</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/should-you-use-your-brokerage-email-address/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/should-you-use-your-brokerage-email-address/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Email]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2687</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Email is the lifeblood of most agents businesses. There are many different ways to receive email nowadays. Some more professional than others and some easier to set up than others. Agents can use: Free accounts such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Rogers Their TREB account Their brokerage assigned account Set up their account tied to their domain name The easiest solution is seldom the best. Just recently I heard a story that sent shivers up my spine. A brokerage (which shall remain nameless) insisted that their agents use their email extension &#8211; e.g. m.smith@brokeragexyz.com. When the agent notified the brokerage, after giving them years of service, that she was leaving, they shut off her email account that very same day. The ink on the resignation letter wasn’t even dry. This was unexpected to say the least. She had no time to notify the clients she was working with that they now had to reach her at an alternate address. No doubt business would be lost. Take this as a cautionary tale. Even though it is an easy solution do not use the brokerage’s email address as your primary address. If they insist on assigning one to you, then simply have it forwarded to an alternate address and do not give it out to the public. In my opinion agents should uses their website extension &#8211; e.g. bsage@theastuteagent.ca. Google Apps is a cheap ($5/month) and easy solution which does exactly that. In my opinion, it also looks more professional and it reinforces your website address in the minds of the people you are interacting with. Once that is set up have your TREB and brokerage address pointed to that one you will have to contact TREB to have that forward put in place. So although someone emails you at one of those seondary addresses your response will be from your main email and you will slowly condition those people to use that other address. If you do decide to use the brokerage email address then be sure to get in writing from your broker of record that should the time come when you part ways, your email address will be forwarded to an alternate of your selection. &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>Does Your Real Estate Website Suck?</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/does-your-real-estate-website-suck/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/does-your-real-estate-website-suck/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:57:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2671</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; At REBarCampTO the other week, I led a discussion about agent&#8217;s websites. The first question I asked the group was ‘how many of you are happy with your website?’ Of the 50+ people in the room, only three people raised their hands. I have to say that I wasn’t all too surprised. As a whole, agents don’t seem to be happy with their sites. What it seems to come down to is that agents expect that they can spend $30 a month for a templated site and, magically, with no extra effort, their website will rocket up in the search results and start spitting out money. When that doesn’t work, they throw their hands up and blame the inter-web. This seems to me to be an expectations issue. Agents need to manage their expectations. If you want a website that actually moves your business forward, you have to be prepared to invest money and time and be dedicated in order to create and maintain something unique. And it is not just about leads. Having a strong website is the single most important element in your marketing strategy. You should not focus any energy on anything else until you have a site that is representative of you and that actually converts traffic into leads. If you ask me, a website has to do three things: 1) Get you past the online interview 2) Generate traffic 3) Convert traffic to leads The Online Interview 90% of buyers use the internet during the home search, and not to just look at listings. Over the last couple of years, we have seen the home search go from 12 to 14 weeks. This is because people are spending more time researching and educating themselves before they even start looking at listings. An agent&#8217;s website plays a vital role, whether you realize it or not. It is not just for new prospects, it is also for referrals. They call it the digital interview, and it is usually the first step a prospective client takes, even in the case of referrals. So your website, whether you like it or not, is the first point of contact in many situations. Think about your website; picture it in your mind. Do you think your site is a fair representation of you? If it is the first thing someone sees about you, does it do you justice? Therefore, even before you think about lead generation from your site, you need to make sure that it is representative of you. The single most trafficked page on the average agent&#8217;s website (other than the home page) is the &#8216;about&#8217; page. People are there wanting to learn more about you. You have to make sure that your site is portraying you appropriately. However, it is more than just the &#8216;about&#8217; page. All of the content needs to speak about you. The site needs to demonstrate your deep knowledge and it needs to sound like you. Visitors need to feel like they know you before they even meet you. Generate Traffic It is no secret, but if you want the chance to convert visitors to leads, you first need them on your site. There are a lot of different ways to market your site to drive traffic to it, but that is not what this blog post is about. Perhaps we will tackle that in a future post. Today is about how you can convert traffic to leads with only your site. The key is generating plenty of great content consistently in order for Google to index it and serve you up for long tail search terms. The biggest trend that we are seeing right now in web development is what we call a hybrid site. A hybrid of the traditional agent site consists of a bunch of static pages along with some calls to action, info capture and a blog. No longer do you have your site over here and your blog over there. They should be combined to become one central hub. The main thrust of that hub is consistent content. This content works to drive traffic through organic search, as well as position you and your brand in the minds of the site visitor. Converting Traffic into Leads If you want to convert traffic into leads, you need to first build trust with the visitor. They need to trust that you know what you are talking about; this is what the content does. They also need to like you. Consumers want to work with someone who is likeable. Again, you can demonstrate that winning personality of yours by letting it shine through your writing. Once you have built that trust and demonstrated your personality through your content, you need to give the visitor a reason to reach out to you or to provide their information. This is accomplished through different calls to action. The most powerful calls to action are those that provide additional value that the visitor wants. Some typical ones include: Newsletter sign up Home evaluation Neighbourhood stats report download New listing alerts Listing search signup The list goes on. I am a huge WordPress fan for building these hybrid sites. If you want to read more about WordPress check out these posts: Advanced WordPress Coaching Session Notes Sage NAR Recap Notes &#124; Plug-ins To Improve Your WordPress Site 6 Reasons Why WordPress Is So Great for Toronto Real Estate Blogs WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com &#124; A Toronto Real Estate Agents Guide Intermediate WordPress Coaching Session Notes 8 WordPress Widgets and Plug-ins that Every Real Estate Blog Should Have But the most important lesson in all of this is that there is no silver bullet. If you want to generate business from your website you need to spend time and energy creating something that is unique and speaks to your target market. &#160;]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>LinkedIn : New and Improved</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/linkedin-new-and-improved-real-estate/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/linkedin-new-and-improved-real-estate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:51:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[LinkedIn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2657</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; LinkedIn has never been a frontrunner in the social media world. However, it has made some improvements that may change its popularity. I have always recommended that Toronto real estate agents just set it and for get it. But that is changing as a result of some of the new changes that have been introduced. Outlined below are the changes that I think agents need to be aware of. LinkedIn Today LinkedIn has become much more than just an online resume. One major change that has been made is to the Home page (where you see who has become connected with who and other such news.) A new feature of this page is called &#8220;LinkedIn Today.&#8221; This new feature recommends news for you based on what is trending in your network, or you can specifically choose to follow influencers and leaders in business and their posts will show up in your &#8220;LinkedIn Today&#8221; section. This is great content to repost on your profile for your network to see what you are interested in, or to repost on your Twitter or Facebook accounts. It is a great way to connect on a deeper level with your clients or professional connections. I also see this as encouraging users to return to their profile more frequently to see the latest news. Personal Profile Changes There have also been numerous changes to the personal profile on LinkedIn. Many people have only had a few different jobs, so the LinkedIn profile now allows you to add any projects or publications you have been involved with, therefore bulking up your profile. When you add an activity that you were a part of, you can include who was involved in it with you, which is a great way to connect with them and remain relevant as it shows up on their profile as well. This is also an easy way to gain access to their networks. Endorsements Some other additions to the personal profile are the skills and expertise section along with the ability for your network to endorse your skills. When somebody views your profile, they will see that you have excellent skills in customer service or negotiation, for example. The more endorsements you have, the better it looks on your profile for future clients. It is one of those reciprocity situations. If you want to get endorsements be sure to take the first step of endorsing others. SlideShare Integration You can also integrate Slideshare presentations to your profile. If, for example, you have a Powerpoint outlining your expertise in certain neighbourhoods or what sets you apart from the rest as a real estate agent, you can upload this Powerpoint or Keynote presentation to Slideshare and then share it on your LinkedIn profile. As you can see, LinkedIn has become an even better networking site for agents and  is worth being regularly active on.]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>And Facebook Changes&#8230; Again</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/and-facebook-changes-again/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/and-facebook-changes-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:35:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2622</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Part of what I love about social media also has to be one of the things I find most frustrating. Just when you think you have it all down either something new comes along or monumental changes are introduced to the existing players. The later is what we are finding with f&#8217;s latest round  of changes. You read that right in their relentless pursuit of simplicity facebook has now eliminated the &#8216;acebook&#8217; from the logo on their newly updated site design. There are a couple of changes worth knowing about for real estate agents: The first is the overhaul to the News Feed. This is an important change for real estate agents because this change makes visual content the main focus on the News Feed. This is done by having the photo or video larger than everything else. This is true both for photos and albums posted but also the photos associated with stories and pages. &#8220;News Feed has become primarily about visual content,&#8221; said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Agents can take advantage of this by focusing on sharing visual content. The more photos we share the more real estate we will take up in our networks news feed and assuming the images are engaging and of interest this is a huge advantage because we will be more noticeable. We have always advised against bombarding people with purely your real estate news or photos of your latest listing, so focus on posting a picture of the delicious brunch you had at the new restaurant down the street or a cool picture you found on Pinterest, the new News Feed will help feature these stories, bringing attention to your profile. Another feature is the new way content is categorized now instead of just being able to sort by just &#8216;Top Stories&#8217; and &#8216;Most Recent&#8217; you now have seven options. You can sort the regular old News Feed way (think Top Stories, sorted by the Facebook algorithm), All Friends, &#8216;Following&#8217; for the Pages you follow; Photos, Groups, Games, Music, and Most Recent. So how can you get the new timeline? It may be a little tougher than you think. The first step is simple: go to facebook.com/about/newsfeed and click the button &#8220;Join Waiting List.&#8221; The next step is a little tougher: wait. You simply have to wait for the changes to take place. The second is the focus on mobile design. It was stated quite clearly mobile came first and web followed it. Just looking at the web design you can see how much it looks like what we are used to on the mobile facebook. Love it or hate it that is the way that it is. If you ask me this makes a pretty strong statement not just for facebook but any website. If facebook is placing mobile as the main focus maybe we should as well?!?!?!? The third is graph search. This reinvents the way you search for things on facebook. For example, you can search for people who share common interests with you; for restaurants people you know have been to; or for that funny picture you were tagged in a few months ago. You can now connect with people through these searches, whether you want to start a book club or see who is interested in your real estate farm area! Similarly, if others search for things of their interest and your post or profile pops up, this will bring traffic to your page. This is important to know so that you load your profile with things you want people to know about you; you are then more likely to show up in a search. Facebook has been rolling this out for a while now it just seems they are rolling it out to a larger and larger segment. Love them or hate them these changes are coming. So better understand how we can leverage them to improve our businesses.]]></description>
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		<title>Date Night @iZone: The Anatomy of a Real Estate Lifestyle Photo Shoot &#124; Part 3 of 3</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/date-night-izone-the-anatomy-of-a-real-estate-lifestyle-photo-shoot-part-3-of-3/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/date-night-izone-the-anatomy-of-a-real-estate-lifestyle-photo-shoot-part-3-of-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:46:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2612</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Here is the final instalment on our series outlining how to executed our lifestyle photo shoot. 6)     Shoot. On the day of the shoot, preparation is everything. Make sure that you are well-prepared. If the storyline is set in the evening then make sure you either do the shoot in the evening or else be able to make it look like night by blacking out windows. Makeup takes about 30-45 minutes so make sure the model and makeup artist show up an hour early as they are less expensive than your photographer. That way, once the photographer arrives the shoot can begin. Make sure to have all of your shots planned ahead of time for both sets of photos. Be sure to take behind the scenes photos as they make for great social media teaser material. Also make sure you have adequate lighting. The photographer should have the proper equipment; just make sure they bring it. Be there with the photographer every step of the way to make sure you get the angles that you want. Don’t hesitate to ask to see the shots as they are taken so you are not surprised when you receive them. 7)     Leverage the photos. Now that you have the photos, you need to leverage them beyond just MLS. We used the lifestyle shots on the feature sheet, individual listing website, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest. On the feature sheet we had to lay them out carefully to ensure that we told the story we wanted to tell. Despite the fact that we rarely encourage agents to post their listings on Facebook, we did in this case just because of how unique the approach was. We also kept it very non-salesy. 8)     Now sit back and watch the multiples roll in. As a result of this approach we were able to get 30 likes, 24 comments, and 2 shares on the Facebook album we posted. We were able to drive over 800 visitors to the individual listing site when we normally average 100-200. We had 40 showings and ended up selling the property in multiples over asking in one week. 9)     Leverage in future listing presentations. Once you have gone through this process once, be sure to include it as a value add that you provide to your future clients. During your listing presentation, use it to distinguish yourself. I highly doubt the other agents you are in competition with will be going to the same extent as you to market their listing. We have seen agents and brokerages outside of Toronto take on this approach for every single listing they do and they have managed to carve out an incredible niche for themselves. When it was all said and done, the cost for the model, makeup artist, posting on modelmayhem.com and photographer cost us $475. Based on the results it was money incredibly well-spent. Anecdotally speaking, we know that this approach has impressed the marketplace. After the listing sold, an investor contacted our agent gushing over this approach to marketing and is now in talks with our agent about helping him buy a number of similar hard lofts. &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>Date Night @iZone: The Anatomy of a Real Estate Lifestyle Photo Shoot &#124; Part 2 of 3</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/date-night-izone-the-anatomy-of-a-real-estate-lifestyle-photo-shoot-part-2-of-3/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/date-night-izone-the-anatomy-of-a-real-estate-lifestyle-photo-shoot-part-2-of-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:58:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2595</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Despite the fact that everything turned out well in the end we definitely had a lot of learnings during our first lifestyle photo shoot. We hope by sharing our experience we can help you ensure yours goes more smoothly. So what exactly did we do? Outlined below are the steps we took to bring this idea to fruition: Develop a buyer profile. In this case it was a very masculine hard loft that was all concrete, steel, and exposed brick. It was also was a main floor unit with a slightly elevated rear deck off of the back parking lot. Great for barbecues but not so great for those concerned about security. With all this considered we figured it would be a 20-something male who would buy the place. Translate your understanding of the target buyer into a marketing approach. Given the demographic and the space we figured that driving factor behind the purchase would be to impress friends and, in particular, girls. So we came up with the idea of a ‘date night’ with a very attractive girl, and a somewhat attractive male (me). We wanted to make it inspirational: buy this place and you will date girls like this. Create a story board. The next thing we did was develop a story board. This allowed us to better flesh out the concept and ensure that we got all of the shots we needed. Find the talent.Now that we had a better idea of what we wanted we were able to start our talent search. To pull this off we needed a model, a makeup artist, and a photographer. We already had the photographer so we just needed the model and makeup artist. We had no idea where to go to find such talent. We asked around and it turns out that there is a great website called www.modelmayhem.com that allows you to source freelance models and makeup artists at a reasonable rate. For just $30 we posted our project and had 35-40 models submit their portfolios and rates to us. And I must say it was a rather taxing week having to review so many pictures of beautiful women. It’s important when selecting the model to make sure that they have the right look and that their look works with the space. Given the colours in the loft, we had to stay away from blondes because they would be washed out in the photos. Sounds minor but all important points to consider. Make sure that you let the model know what sort of outfits they require. And if you are planning on any risqué shots be sure to mention that in the posting. We had settled on one model but then when we walked through the shots the day before the shoot and she understood that in one of them there was implied nudity, she backed out. That left us scrambling the day before the shoot. Fortunately, our second choice model was available.In the next post we will share the remaining steps we took along with the results that were generated.]]></description>
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		<title>Date Night @iZone: The Anatomy of a Real Estate Lifestyle Photo Shoot &#124; Part 1 of 3</title>
		<link>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/date-night-izone-the-anatomy-of-a-real-estate-lifestyle-photo-shoot-part-1-of-3/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theastuteagent.ca/date-night-izone-the-anatomy-of-a-real-estate-lifestyle-photo-shoot-part-1-of-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:38:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bradley Sage</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theastuteagent.ca/?p=2568</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Lifestyle marketing is all about getting into the mind of the buyer in order to understand what is motivating their purchasing decision. Once you understand their motivation, you need to figure out how to translate that understanding into marketing that will resonate with that target market. It’s important to realize that it isn’t always about sex. Many of the examples used in lifestyle marketing revolve around that theme but not all purchasing decisions arise from a carnal level. So it isn’t always about using a sexy half-naked model in bed…despite the fact that that is what we used in our campaign. Video is a phenomenal tool for conveying lifestyle. The only problem is that video is expensive. Depending on which vendor you choose, you are looking at between two and four thousand dollars. This isn’t outrageous if it is a million-plus listing, but what about those smaller listings, those places that are in the $350K range? You simply cannot justify spending $3K when your commission is only $9K. This was the exact situation in which we recently found ourselves. We wanted to leverage lifestyle marketing for a hard loft but couldn’t justify the expense of doing a video. So we decided to take a different tack. We decided to use still photography instead. And with that, the concept of the Lifestyle Photo Shoot was born. We dubbed it ‘Date Night at iZone’ &#160; In the next two posts we will walk you through step by step what we did to bring this shoot through to fruition.]]></description>
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