CLose More Leads With RELN's Solution! RE-Think Latino

Online Marketing Solution for Bilingual Real Estate Agents and Brokers

Most real estate agents and brokers today are faced with tighter budgets, and the marketing dollars that they do have are being shifted ever-increasingly to digital media. Now more than ever in these tough economic times, you must have the ability to measure and demonstrate ROI; and you need to focus on the most efficient way to reach new and existing customers.

RealEstateLatino.net (REL) offers bilingual agents and brokers an effective and affordable alternative to traditional high-cost marketing media, delivering high-quality phone-verified leads, right to their inbox.

Only quality leads - Never recycled! How can we do this? For over five years our company has been a leader in the online Latino real estate market. REL’s affiliated websites have become trusted allies for thousands of Latinos looking for a trusted advisor, who will guide them along the process of buying their home. We deliver true leads: Real people wanting to engage with an agent who is willing to take the time to explain the real estate process, find the home, and help them negotiate and close the deal.

You are always in control! Real Estate Latino Network offers territorial exclusivity to agents and brokers (one city or two towns). We are not in the business of selling leads; we are in the business of generating and converting potential leads that will help our clients greatly increase their online market share. We invest large amounts of time and efforts helping our clients stay in touch with the lead, and provide them with online tools that make the follow-up process easy and accessible from any computer that has internet access.

Unlike any other company, we work closely with our clients to customize their online marketing campaign based on their needs and target demographics. For example, if you do business in Miami you might also want to consider the growing number of Latin American buyers who now call South Florida home. The internet, via RealEstateLatino.net, is the natural place to meet these buyers.

Who benefits from this service? Any agents or brokers seeking to expand their online Latino market share, without having to become a real estate marketing expert, and without having to spend excessive marketing dollars. We recognize that each one of our clients is unique, and our team of professionals would be delighted to tailor our services to your needs, to ensure your complete satisfaction.

Following is a list that describes some typical REL clients:

•An agent or broker who has tried similar services but has not seen the desired results
•An agent or broker wanting to expand his or her online business by targeting the Latino community
•An agent or broker who does not want to bother with all the time and challenges related to the marketing of their services
•An agent or broker who is simply seeking an online presence
•An agent or broker needing a Spanish site in order to complete his/her bilingual service offerings
•An agent or broker who is willing to create a strategic partnership with an online marketer who can guarantee results in the Latino market, and beyond.
To schedule a confidential, no obligation online presentation, just write us an e-mail and send it to info@realestatelatino.com, or call REL toll-free today at 1-888-934-9779.

Acculturation vs. Translation

Acculturation vs. Translation: Your Path to Cultivating the Latino Real Estate Market
by Bill Arce
Real Estate Agents cannot simply apply directly to the U.S. Latino market the conceptualizations or marketing strategies that work with the general real estate market. Many factors – financial, historical, background, cultural, demographic and expectations -- place Latino real estate consumers in a different category, making essential for professionals to RE-Think Latino. A combination of Brand awareness and trusted advisor are product elements deemed important by Latino consumers, especially first time home buyers.

For many agents’ website, direct translations and usage of traditional online marketing strategies tend to miss the emotional and culturally relevant elements involve in the home purchasing for any Latino family. Some results will be there, but not with the sales volume, strength and recall that a truly culturally-attuned online marketing and co-branding efforts that Real Estate Latino Network can reach for your company.

Make no mistake, the integration of generations and diverse countries of origin within the U.S. Latino market has created a complex culture that requires experience and research to understand, Real Estate Latino Network with over 5 years on the market can assist you reach this market of opportunity. The time to act is now! Visit www.RealEstateLatino.net for more information.

Utilizing Email Marketing To Generate More Leads

Utilizing Email Marketing To Successfully Expand Your Real Estate Business
By Bill Arce

If you are looking for ways to improve your lead generation strategic, “Email Marketing” could be an affordable option available to you. Using email marketing to generate new leads is easy and it could even be more effective than traditional cold calling or real estate farming. Here I give you some tips that can help you set up your own email marketing campaign.

Are You Ready?

Before getting ready to blast your email contact list with your newsletters, you need to plan your email marketing campaign carefully. How can you do it? Very Easy! First, make sure that your website info is up-to-date. If you are planning on promoting just one service (e.g. an open house or a new listing) you could direct email receivers to a “landing page” with more elaborated information. If you just want people to know about resources available in your website, then you can just send them a link to your site home page for more references.

Free Vs. Email Marketing Service:

It is no secret, if you can send an email from your email client like Microsoft Outlook; you are able to send emails to several contacts in your address book at once. Bud, would it look professional? Provably it will not. This is one of the reasons why using an email marketing company to assist you managing your email marketing campaigns make sense.

Virtual companies like IContact.com, ConstantContact.com and StreamSend.com can offer a variety of tools that will help you create, manage and gather data from your email marketing campaigns. Price varies, but they all offer new clients a free trial that to give you an opportunity to get a feeling which company will work better for you.

Building Your List:

Ok, now you know how to create an email marketing campaign, but how useful this is if you don’t have a list of emails to target. First, I would start by gathering emails from family, friends and colleagues. Then, I will add email addresses from past satisfied clients to my master list. Finally, I will make it easy for new potential clients to share their emails with me.

How to capture new emails:

Your main goal is to constantly maintain a flow of new email coming to you, to achieve this an smart agent only need to do one thing, ask for it,. How? Here are some ideas.

 You can solicit emails by simply have a Newsletter sign up section in your website
 Offer free information articles and eBooks to visitors willing to give you their email address
 Offer a “Free Consultation Section” on your site where visitors can ask you questions
 Ask for emails in open houses sign up sheets
 Include emails as part of your client intake form
 Ask for emails at homebuyer seminars sign up sheets

Don’t Forget:

Never spam, when you send emails give the option to unsubscribe to your email marketing campaign if your recipients feel they didn’t ask for the email or just don’t want to receive anymore emails.

Let people know that you will protect their private information and that their emails will never be shared with another company.

Be consistent, don’t just send an email campaign this month and not the following month, to be successfully you must make sure that you will be able to maintain those emails coming at list once a month.

For More Information Bout Our Services Visit www.realestatelatino.net

Online Marketing Services For Real Estate Professionals

RealEstateLatino.com offers real estate agencies and brokers the assistance needed to maximize their ROI by partnering with them on a customized online marketing strategy. For more information email us @ info@realestatelatino.com or call me at 888-934-9779.

Bilingual Online Real Estate Marketing

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NEW REFERRAL PROGRAM FOR BILINGUAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS

RealEstateLatino.com (REL) is currently expanding its online services in your area and would like you to join our fast growing nationwide network.

For a limited time only, if you sign up for our system you will receive your leads on a referral basis, which means that you will not pay per lead, rather a low referral fee when the lead buys or sells a home using your real estate services. Only two bilingual agents will have the opportunity to sign up for our exclusive referral network.

If you are interested in hearing more about our program please call us at 888-934-9779 or e-mail us at info@realestatelatino.com

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to expand your online network, once the first two agents sign up in your area, we will closed our network membership for that area, as they will be the exclusive agents in your territory.

Why Is It That The Internet Is Becoming “The Place” For Most Buyers When They Are Looking For Home?

By Bill Arce (Real Estate Professional)

The quick answered is convenience, the privacy of the Internet offers home buyers, especially those who are first timer, the opportunity to access information about a home without the need to disclose his or hers information to an agent.

According to a recent data released by the National Association of Realtors, it shows how the Internet continues to grow as one of the most popular means for buyer to search properties for sale. NAR data for the year 2008 shows that 32 percent of home buyers first looked at home they purchased online-up from an insignificant 8 percent on 2001. The same study reveals that the percentage of home buyers finding their dream home from a Realtor dropped from 41 in 2001 to just 34 percent in 2008, making traditional real estate not as popular as it once was.

Latinos are not exempt from this and they are too turning to the internet to look for resources including real estate. In my Blog , I make a reference to how the online Latino presence hit an all time high 20.3 million in 2008, up 6 percent from 2007. Hispanos, now accounts for 11% of the total U.S. online market creating many opportunities for bilingual real estate professionals to expand theirs business on a new whole way.

Here are some tips that you should consider if you are really serious about doing real estate business with Latinos online, which by the way are considered for some experts to be the next driving force in real estate, as the baby boomers did.

If you don’t have a website, you should get one: A website is considered one of the agent’s best tools. In today’s real estate market a website is more than just an appealing graphic display, it is your 24/7 virtual office. Your website is the place where you can interact with potential clients, while at the same time you are offering valuable information without asking for anything in return. A bilingual real estate agent should have a website that targets both (Ingles y Español) clients.

A dynamic website has tools allowing the agent to interact with his or her virtual visitors, for example, a section where visitor can have their questions answered, to request a customized list of available property for sale and of course it should offers listings. An agent should take advantage of IDX and display the entire local MLS on their site showcasing his or her contact information. Just remember one thing, use your site as a place of free information and resource for your potential clients, avoid doing the hard sale on your self or your service, it wont’ work, show your visitors that you are there for them, shall they want to contact you.

Ok, you got a bilingual website, now what? Well, is time to let the world know that you have a website, ok, maybe not the whole world, just your local market. First, get 2 domain names one for each language, this way you will be able to direct your marketing materials more efficiently to your Latino and non-Latinos clients. Add your website to all your printing materials like, business cards, flyers, first time homebuyer presentations, etc.

It is also important that you optimized your site so, when potential clients are doing a search for real estate in your area, your site is among the top findings. If your budget allows it create PayPerClick campaigns in Google or Yahoo, this way you can have some assurance to be listed among the top search result on the search engines. You can also direct organic traffic to your site, organic meanings free of charge, by posting ads in online social networks and local forums where Latinos area active, places like Univision.com, Terra.com and QuePasa.com. I also like to ad posts to other non-Latino, but very popular forums like Craiglist.com and Backpage.com.

Free is good: If you are a new agent or simply don’t have the budget required to maintain a website online, you need a plan B. Create your own Blog and begin writing about what you know best, real estate. With the assistance of the current free technology, like Blogger.com, Wordpress.com and other you can set up a Blog in just a few minutes. Blogs are a great alternative to website, although it will never replace it, a Blog can give you the edge you need to facilitate your online presence and position yourself as the local bilingual real estate expert.

There are too many ways for a real estate agent to interact with potential clients online some works better than other, but you can only find out if you try them, who knows maybe your next closing is from a buyer surfing the net looking for an honest real estate advice.

Marketing Real Estate to a Multicultural Clientele

By Debra Allen

RISMEDIA, Nov. 27, 2007-Real Estate professionals who adapt to the increase of cultural diversity in the market and who wisely plan to meet the needs of local multicultural and international clients gain a competitive edge and may increase business.

Expanded awareness of diversity may increase home ownership for underserved and immigrant communities, particularly Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, and African-Americans. Through education and outreach, real estate professionals may help to overcome the barriers to ownership for minority communities. Real estate professionals also may provide useful tools and resources such as education and home-buying seminars.

Right now, real estate professionals must improve communication skills with multicultural customers to better understand key demographics and traits of multicultural communities. Separately, training for real estate professionals may include escrow and lending procedures for international clients as well as TRC Certification (Trans National Referral Certification), a certification that costs as little as $99, a one-time fee to NAR.

In 2006, first-time home buyers accounted for 3.23 million home sales. Marketing and selling practices may need to incorporate diversity and serve local, multicultural and international clients.

Real estate professionals need to be both aware of, and sensitive to, cultural differences within marketing and selling practices. Real estate professionals must consistently honor practices that make clients feel comfortable, informed, and valued. They must also identify the professional skills needed for a successful international practice.

According to a National Housing Report released in 2004 by Harvard University, “Immigrant minorities accounted for 27 percent of households in 2003, and will contribute at least two-thirds of net household growth in the coming decades.”

Further, by the year 2030, one out of four people will be of either Hispanic or Asian descent.

Baby Boomers have record income levels that expand their exposure to international markets. Unlike previous generations, they are not downsizing with regard to their homes, but are buying amenity-filled homes. In fact, they are driving a strong demand for second homes - not just in the U.S. - but abroad.

The obvious benefit for creating an international network is global exposure for any and all properties in a given market area.

According to the 2002 U.S. Census Bureau:

The Hispanic community is the fastest growing demographic group in the U.S. currently. During the 1990s, the overall population increase was 12.6%, while the nation’s Hispanic population grew 47%. Home ownership for Hispanic-Americans reached a new high of 46% in 2004.

The Asian-American population is expected to triple from 10.7 million in 2003 to 33.4 million by 2050. The 2002 median income of Asian households was $52,018 compared to $42,409 for all households. Asian and Pacific Islanders have the highest proportion of college graduates, with 47% of people over age 25 holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

By the year 2030, one out of four people will be either Hispanic or Asian in ethnic makeup. Multicultural marketing recognizes a diverse market base, including ethnic and racial minorities.

Following are some tips when using a multicultural marketing approach:

- Learn as much as possible about the traditions and beliefs of your targeted potential clients.
- Do not assume that all minorities are alike. There is considerable diversity within each ethnic segment based on country of origin, language, and social and cultural adaptation to the United States.

Things to look out for when working with multicultural clients:

- Be careful when translating English into foreign languages. Some idiomatic expressions cannot be translated word for word and retain the same meaning.
- Build a group of real estate professionals who speak the language of the ethnic group or groups that you seek to serve.
- Be sensitive about cultural slurs, stereotypes, clichés, and taboos. Understand the nuances in communication, dress, and family values.
- Be prepared to educate your audience.
- Get involved with ethnic communities and their events.
- Consider hiring a specialty advertising agency or marketing consultant to make the communities aware of any special services.

Basics for Multicultural Business Norms and Etiquette:

- Learn at least a few phrases of the other’s language.
- Show appreciation for the other’s customs, music, and art; do not criticize them.
- Be sensitive and nonjudgmental on politics and religion; avoid discussing these topics if possible.
- Build on the other’s cultural heritage to enhance communication, rather than trying to impose your own.
- Extend respect to whomever the customer cares about: the elderly, children, family, the poor, and with whatever the customer identifies, such as religion.
- Acknowledge mistakes and apologize when appropriate.
- Talk less, listen more.
- Do not ask about family unless they are present or the client mentions them first.
- Recognize the need for formality and take more time in doing business than is your normal practice.
- Be punctual, even if it is not customary for the person you are visiting. Many cultures regard lateness as a character flaw.
- Take the blame for language difficulties.
- Do not tell or make jokes; they have a high probability of being misunderstood.
- Show deference to the elderly; stand when they enter, wait for them to speak or extend their hands in greeting.
- Be patient and forgiving if a member of the opposite sex has trouble determining how to treat you. Remember that other cultures differ on the roles of men and women in business relationships and may have difficulty adjusting to expectations in the United States.
- Skip the efforts to create an instant friendship.

Most would agree that we are in a buyer’s market, but many sales people are overlooking two of the fastest-growing demographics: immigrants, and Hispanics.

Immigrants represent 40% of new household formations from 2000 to 2005. In the 25-34 age group, 20% of the population is currently foreign born. 14% of current buyer’s are immigrants; they average a larger down payment of seven percent vs. the four percent down by native-born Americans. The Hispanic purchasing power is projected to equal the third largest economy in the hemisphere by 2010, of how 72% are U.S. citizens.

In good times and tough times, some principles hold true-you must build your business in a systematic way and stay competitive and always two steps ahead of everyone else.

Debra Allen is a Realtor with Prudential Arizona Properties, Gilbert, Ariz. To contact her, e-mail DEBRA.ALLEN@PRUAZ.COM.

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