Whether your technological skill level is closer to Bill Gates or my Grandmother, our goal at Rezora is to make our technology relatable and usable for all ability levels. We strive to make our marketing tools complex and advanced to keep our tech geniuses stimulated, and yet user-friendly so that all can easily navigate around the software. From our drag and drop feature to our instant MLS feed, Rezora makes creating marketing pieces second nature to even the most computer-resistant users. What I have found though to be the most challenging part for users is importing contacts.

Pack you bags

Think of importing your contacts as a vacation. It might not be quite as relaxing, after all we can’t offer you a cold beverage and a hammock, but I promise it might just be that easy. Just like a trip, you can’t just go straight to relaxation; there is some work involved on the front end. You need to make travel arrangements, transportation, and pack up your belongings. When using Rezora you also have to make all of the arrangements and put in some work before fully enjoying the marketing potential.

First of all, you need to pack your suitcase. What this means, is gather all of your contacts and put them into an Outlook CSV file. An Outlook CSV file differs from a regular CSV file because it has unique headings (please see below).

So, the easiest way to make sure that your contacts are in the right suitcase, so to speak, is to download the Outlook CSV from our website. Then, you can effortlessly enter all of your contacts’ information into this easy to use format.

When you are finished, don't forget to save your hard work! Go to Save As, and set your gaze at Format where you should select Window's Comma Separated (.csv). Using this format ensures that your contacts will import properly.

Give your Contacts a Destination!

 Next, make the travel arrangements. Where would you like your contacts to go? You have a couple of options here. You can create a distribution list, assign your contacts to the primary sphere, or just leave them out of a distribution list completely.

To create a distribution list, you will need to go to your Contacts page. Once on your contacts page, you will see a box that says distribution list and please click on the button that says New. You will then be able to title your distribution list, and please do not forget to click Save. The benefit of creating your own distribution list is purely to help you organize your contacts. It is crucial to do this beforehand! 

A lot of agents prefer to import contacts into their primary sphere. Your primary sphere is perhaps the all-inclusive resort of marketing. You see, brokerages provide marketing pieces on the behalf of the agents. These pieces could vary from promoting a new mobile app to sharing upcoming events. Everyone in your primary sphere will be eligible to get these marketing pieces from your brokerage. Talk about effortless!

Perhaps, you do not want to use distribution lists. That is fine, but just know it will take more time when creating marketing pieces. What I mean by this is that when you are ready to send an email out to your clients you will need to select recipients one-by-one. This method is great if you are an agent that has a lot of extra time, but let me tell you- this is not the majority of us.

READY, SET…. IMPORT!

After putting your contacts into the outlook csv file, created or decided on a distribution list, you are ready to import! Get your mouse ready and click import!

Since you have followed all instructions, all of your contacts with valid email addresses will import. However, if for some reason they do not. Do not stress. Do not smash your computer screen to the ground! Please, just click on the green support button and submit a support request. We have support standing by to help you with any problems or complications.

Next Time

Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog where we will discuss the mysteries of SPAM and bounced emails. Until then, import those contacts and keep on marketing!

When a job, school, or just a spirit of change is set in motion, and you need to move, what do you do? Do you scour craigslist or dig deeply into google trying to find a place to live? I know this is what I used to do. I have had to move a lot lately, quite more than I care to admit actually, and I always did so the hard way. I asked around, spent a ton of money on gas scouting out the area and available places, placing my fate in the hands of my friends at google. Moving is stressful, from moving out of your current pad to coordinating the logistics of transporting your furniture. And trust me, this stress list could go on for miles. Let’s not dwell in this stressful memory, for nothing more than my blood pressure’s sake. I have found, since my various moves, a couple of websites that make moving a much more enjoyable and affordable experience.

Rentmatch.com is probably one of my favorites. When you first arrive to the site, it is very inviting and comforting, “Find your perfect rental.” Yes, finally. Thank you I would love to! All you need to do is type in your city, state, college etc. and then any specific requirements such as price range and number of bedrooms… You hit search, and rentmatch.com does the rest. The site pulls up great rental properties and even allows you to specify your search further in terms of pets, square feet, and parking. Rentmatch.com makes it easy for you to find your perfect rental without even having to leave your home.

Another site worth visiting is padmapper.com. I love this site because it shows where properties are available on the map. This is especially helpful if you are moving to a location that you are not familiar with. You can search for properties close to your work, peek at what kind of businesses you would be surrounded by, and you can even see what the place looks like by clicking on the satellite button. Let me tell you, this would have been so helpful about a year ago when I was looking for a rental place in Denver. I did the whole google search thing, and then planned on doing a drive by. I wish I hadn’t. This neighborhood looked like actual drive-by’s were an everyday occurrence. Long story short, padmapper.com could have really saved me time, gas, money and kept me a lot safer. Like rentmatch.com, padmapper.com has a window where you can get even more specific with your rental needs. You can specify anything from price range, to bedrooms and bathrooms. Then, once you click on a property, it will tell you what is in walking distance, show you pictures, and let you compare prices to other rental properties in the area. For anyone who is looking to move, and wants to make an educated and time-saving decision, padmapper.com is for sure the way to go!

Looking back now on my many moves in the past year, I am a bit bitter about how much time I wasted doing random searches on the internet and spending days driving around. In many ways rentmatch.com and padmapper.com are very similar to Rezora, and perhaps this is why I am so drawn to these two companies. When using Rezora, the agent’s end goal is to help people find their dream home. In all three websites the outcome is the same. Helping people painlessly find their perfect abode. Please heed my advice, don’t leave something as important as moving and finding a new home to chance. Use these great sites and start saving time and money.

Last week, the Rezora team went out in full force to Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty in Cherry Creek. Reason being, a training for some of Sotheby’s best agents. I am relatively new to Rezora, so I was very excited to be out on the front lines, fielding questions and meeting agents.

The training started a little after nine in the morning. Agents filed in with their laptops, pens, papers, and brains fired up and ready to go. There was an electric energy and perhaps even nervousness that buzzed around the room, only muted as Paul commenced his training speech.

Paul spoke slowly, precisely, and with confidence; but as minutes ticked along a slow tide of murmurs and whispers started to arise. I noticed some agents still stared at Paul in total understanding, while others became deeply rooted in confusion. All of the agents were operating on different technology comfort levels. I knew this would be the case, but for some reason it was even more apparent in the live training. In the live trainings agents were not masked by their computer screens. We were able to notice confusion or frustration and help immediately.

The training blazed on and purposefully or not, the room sectioned off. Part of the room designated to Paul, another to Melissa, and an additional sector to myself. This probably was my favorite part of the whole training because it allowed us to align our pulses with the agents’. We could feel and relate to the hardships and successes that agents experienced when using Rezora. Conversations circled about adding contacts, distribution lists, stationery pieces, and our ability to provide information/pictures from the MLS. This learning environment was ideal because it allowed us to engage in intellectual conversations, ask questions, and learn and grow as one community. After all, we all had the same goal: to use Rezora to its fullest potential.

As the training with Fuller Sotheby’s died down, a few agents lingered to ask questions and get one on one assistance. Eventually though, everyone filed out and we all sighed a big sigh. This was a successful training in my eyes, and I hope the agents thought so too. I can see from the customer support side of Rezora, that agents who attend trainings are far more independent and use Rezora’s services quickly and efficiently. This means less time working on successful marketing pieces, and more time selling real estate.

Rezora offers a plethora of training opportunities both online and in house. Rezora’s own training guru, Amy, runs online trainings. In Amy’s trainings she goes through the entire Rezora system, from importing contacts to sending out the most complex of marketing pieces. For any agent who wishes to use Rezora to its capacity, I would highly recommend attending one of her trainings. Amy is concise, helpful, and very friendly.

This is my plea to all agents using Rezora, please attend a training. You can ask questions, get to know the people behind the technology mask, and start using Rezora to your full advantage. To check when the next training is, please contact your marketing coordinator or email us at training@rezora.com.

Working at an email marketing company ensures that we spend a good deal of our day online. Time and time again at Rezora we stumble upon sites that we believe our clients should know about. After visiting this site and falling in love with it, I couldn’t help but to share it with you, our beloved readers. Follow along below to learn about one of our newly discovered online gems.

Scenario One:

The days of the week blurred together. The sun was just starting to break winter’s grip and the campus buzzed. Although it was finals time, students were drawn outdoors after their long winter hibernation. Days were filled with classesand daily doses of Vitamin D, and nights with caffeine and studying.

Joe was the average college student. He worked and played hard. Our friend Joe came from a middle class family and luckily never had financial trouble paying bills. Joe however, was very forgetful.

As he got deeper and deeper into finals he was at the library so much it was hard for him to distinguish day from night. Joe was submerged with cramming before his tests.

This was all well and good, but there was one big problem… Joe ended up forgetting to pay his rent. Now Joe, on top of studying for finals and trying to remember to occasionally leave the library to eat, has acquired excessive late fees. If only there was a way to remind Joe to pay his rent that was as easy as a click of the mouse…

Scenario Two:

Every month for Sarah it’s the same old thing. Knuckles sore from knocking on doors and voice depleted from asking for rent payment. This particular month seemed to be the worst. You see, Sarah owns rental properties in a college town. For the most part her renters are somewhat reliable, but they are still young and probably new at this whole “rent” thing.

Sarah is understanding and flexible, but she is also tired of feeling like a collection agency. She too wishes there was an easier way to collect rent and in turn save her time, knuckles, and voice.

Million Dollar Idea:

In both of these scenarios the tenet and landlord are looking for an easier way through this situation, a million- dollar idea so to speak. Luckily for both parties there is a solution! Rentmonitor.com is an online tool that provides landlords and tenants with a stress-free way to make transactions. How rentmonitor.com works is that the landlord inserts their properties, applies for the service, and then sets up an account for themselves and their renters. This creates the ability for the renters to have their money directly deposited into the landlord’s bank account. Paying rent through rentmonitor.com is hassle-free, secure and safe.

Rentmonitor.com is first and foremost, easy. The website is set up in a very user-friendly way. You do not need to be a tech genius in order to be successful. The web pages are clear, instructions are simple, and the service is priceless.

The website also makes it effortless for the landlord to get paid, and get paid on time. Rentmonitor.com sends out notices to tenets before rent is due, a bill when rent is due, and a receipt after the tenet pays. If for some reason the rent payment is late, rentmonitor.com conducts all of the correspondence to make sure the landlord gets their money.

Not to be forgotten, rentmonitor.com is affordable. They require two dollars off of every transaction with a ten-dollar minimum per month. In my opinion, this is far worth the time and energy that both parties save by paying rent online.

Benefit for the Tenet:

Rentmonitor.com makes paying rent as easy as a click of the mouse. There is no hassle with going to the post office, and no bother of remembering to pay. Tenets receive emails reminding them to pay and are able to submit a payment easily online. Above all else, transactions are secure. There is 24-hour surveillance on the site and SSL encription to keep your data safe.

Lastly, you can pay from anywhere within the country. Renters and tenets alike do not need to stick around town just to pay/receive rent. With easy online payments rentmonitor.com allows mobility and travel.

More Information:

So why not? Rentmonitor.com is easy, affordable, and safe. But don’t just take my word for it, go online and check it out (http://www.rentmonitor.com). They have tours, frequently asked questions and easily accessible contact information. Start today, and save away.

My eyes start at the horizon. Tones of gray and thick black blanket all that slumbers beneath. Birds circle above waiting in anticipation for last week’s five star entree. Plastic bags, wads of paper, and dirty diapers create the earth’s floor, only accented by old chairs, rustic sneakers, and ancient food. These once valuable things are tossed and then forgotten. Can’t you just picture it? Oh, and don’t forget to take a deep breath … Mmmmm, nothing like exhaust and waste in the morning.

Not often are people so moved by trash. We do not travel miles to gawk at famous landfills nor do we pride ourselves on climbing the highest mountain of garbage. Poets do not dote over rubbish, and putrid scraps do not inspire musicians.

Nature. Trees. Lakes. Mountains. Deserts. All of these ideal settings are what makes our earth beautiful, thriving and alive. In order to keep our earth as a true paradise we need to start thinking green. As cliché as this sounds, it is true. One way we can begin to act in a more eco-conscious manner is to lessen our use of paper. For businesses this means transitioning from snail-mail marketing to email marketing.

Reduce Cents

Money really does grow on trees. That is, if the trees stay in the ground. Every year companies spend thousands and sometimes millions of dollars on paper marketing. They pump out cash for postcards, newsletters, and essentially for rent in the landfill. Why, though? Paper marketing prices usually range from $1- $6 per person. And, production with color and custom templates just adds time and money to this fiasco. Email marketing on the other hand, costs usually around $20- $50 per month. For any company with a large client base, email marketing is by far the more economic route. (For more information visit http://www.ruddyortiz.com/why-use-email-marketing-vs-direct-mail-marketing/)

Increase Sense

It is estimated, according to Inwise, “a ton of standard office paper requires 15-24 average-sized trees.” For that amount of paper 7,000 liters of water and 380 gallons of oil are used in production. Still feel like using paper marketing? Think back to that “picturesque” landscape I described earlier, old food and diapers etc. Ringing a bell? Well, I think I forgot to mention that roughly ¼ of the waste in the landfill is paper. That’s a lot of trees, water, oil, and trash. It just doesn’t make sense to waste resources and waste money. (For more information visit http://blog.inwise.com/email-marketing-is-green-marketing.html).

Paper in Your Pocket

All right, all right I’ll get off my soapbox. I don’t want you to think that I’m a paper basher, because I’m really not. Paper can be a very useful tool and can be quite effective for paper airplanes, ammo for spit wads, and sometimes marketing. But are the harmful and wasteful consequences of paper really worth it? Is it worth the detriment of your wallet and the planet? In my book (paperless of course), no. 

For any successful business and earth, email marketing is the way to go. With email marketing you can create extremely targeted marketing campaigns, monitor your progress (click/open rates) and protect our limited resources. So why not? Email marketing is green marketing. Save trees, save resources and save money. With email marketing paper will still play a major role in your business, but it will just be in your pockets rather than in the landfill.

Why force consumers to drag their heels down to the mailbox only to find irrelevant coupons and numerous advertisements? This waste of paper ends up residing as a constant coaster on the coffee table or as build-up in the trash. The days of traditional paper mail marketing are slowly fading away and making room for targeted and meaningful email marketing. Email marketing is a great way to get your products, deals, and company at the tip of consumers’ fingertips. Although this type of marketing makes for an easy “in” with many clients, there are a couple of tips to remember in order to fully enjoy all of the many benefits.

WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE?

First of all let’s get one thing straight, the customer wears the pants in this relationship. They are the entity dictating your email marketing messages. Just because you really want to send a message to every contact in your mailing list, does not necessarily mean that they want to hear from you. Take advice from the great Rolling Stones and my mother, “you can’t always get what you want”. It has to be what the customer wants. And at the end of the day, the customers are the ones who will either grant you more access to themselves and their business, or completely shut you out. By handing over that control, you are on the right path to boosting your open/click rates and increasing conversations around your product/service. 

KNOW YOUR CLIENT:

In any business, you should know your customers and do your research. This aspect of email marketing is what I like to call “dating”. It is in this time period that it’s your job to find out who your clients really are. Don’t be afraid to ask them what kind of emails they would like to receive and at what frequency. This will help you get a feel for what they need/want from you, and gives you the groundwork to start to develop a plan for your email marketing campaign.

As far as research goes, monitor closely click rates and views. See who is looking at what, and what campaigns work the best for which group of clients. Also, don’t be afraid to look at what doesn’t work. Why did a client unsubscribe or send you straight to SPAM? Negative reactions are just as helpful during research as positive reactions. Use this information, create lists of clients based on interests and requested frequency, and hopefully with a bit of tinkering you can achieve your maximum email marketing potential.

FREQUENCY:

Remember, an email inbox is not like a jar of chocolate chip cookies, as in more is not always better. There is a very delicate balance between way too many emails and not enough. You want your client to know that you are thinking of them and want their business, without the overwhelming feeling that you are occupying their inbox. Look at the research you have gathered and analyze which campaigns work, and what frequency works. Whether it is twice a month or twice a week is really up to your clients. Keep your ears to the ground and really feel out how your emails are being received in order to establish a successful email frequency.

 LIVE IN RELEVANCE:

Lastly, which should come naturally if you followed the aforementioned advice, only send targeted and relevant emails. As a young female, should I really be getting emails about men’s hair-loss supplements? No, because quite frankly, it isn’t relevant to me… at all. Your clients feel the same way. They want to get email marketing messages that look like you hand-selected the email campaign just for them. For example, let’s say a young couple was looking to move into a bigger house. And, because I’ve done my research and because I’m keeping their best interest in mind, I send them a listing about a new house in their area. Don’t you think this shows that I know my client and their needs? Sending relevant emails proves to the customer that you care and you are not abusing their inbox.

BOTTOM LINE:

This entire long list of what to do really comes down to the one basic principal of marketing, know your client. My apologies for sounding like a broken record, but it is true. If you do your research, listen to your clients, use targeted/relevant email marketing and with the correct frequency, there is no way your email marketing campaigns will not be successful.

SEO, PPC, Web Site, Email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+. It's all out there, and something else will be the next big thing. Your agents are in these spaces. You may be too. But do you know if you are seeing an ROI for your time and effort?

Where should you focus your time and money?

I was recently at a nice Sotheby's brokerage that has about 30 agents. I heard all of the common arguments. "Our website is awful. We aren't on Twitter and Facebook." Yada, yada, yada.

Referred by (or is) a friend, neighbor or relative:  48%

Internet Web site:  10%

Used agent previously to buy or sell a home:  9%

Visited an open house and met agent:  7%

Saw contact information on For Sale/Open House sign:  6%

Walked into or called office and agent was on duty:  5%

Referred through employer or relocation company:  3%

Personal contact by agent (telephone, email, etc.):  3%

Newspaper, Yellow Pages or home book ad:  1%

Direct mail (newsletter, flyer, postcard, etc.):  <1%

Other:  7%

If you are a broker/owner or an agent look at these numbers like a Vegas casino. Remember John Paulson? He managed the hedge fund that bet big against housing when the crowd was still saying it's going up, up, up.

Think like John Paulson, think like a Vegas casino. Ask yourself "How does my marketing strategy allow me to play the percentages?"

CLOCKWORK EMAIL MARKETING

When it comes to email marketing, it seems pretty straightforward. Marketing material is passed from a company to a client and whether or not it’s opened depends on the persuasion of the company and a click of the mouse. But is it really that simple or perhaps is there a science behind the most effective email marketing campaigns?

Following studies conducted by Dan Zarrella and Pure360, email marketing seems to work in rhythm with the clock.  There is a best time to send out marketing materials to achieve the highest open rates and thus the most effective marketing. Follow along below for a break down of the email marketing clock.

MORNING:

From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., the beginning of the workday, deals on clothing, food, and many other consumer goods have a very high open rate. Consumers at this hour are not quite into work mode and easily allow themselves to drift into distraction.

The 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. hour is really just a “good for nothing” time slot. People are hard at work and not easily lured by tasty deals or real estate steals. For marketers in any arena, it is best to wait until later in the day.

AFTERNOON:

If financial marketing services are up your alley, search no further, and be sure to commit 2-3 p.m. to memory.  Although workers try to hold onto their thread of focus, finances during this hour seem to unravel even the toughest of mindsets.

From 3-5 p.m., real estate marketing booms! Emails knock on the door, and people seem to be answering. During these hours people start to pack up and think about heading head home. Home, they ponder, could it be improved? Could it be changed? This curiosity has workers clicking, opening and reading real estate focused emails.

EVENING:

5 p.m. to 7 p.m. usually attracts consumers, perhaps people stuck at work into the late hours, who dream of relaxing vacations and a world far removed from their desk.

As people arrive home from their long hum -drum at the office and gear into relaxation (7- 10 p.m.), gym/sport and clothing offers are highly successful. But, be wary, as 10 p.m. approaches consumers tire and click rates decline.

From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. refrain from sending out marketing materials! These efforts are rendered ineffective and certainly a waste of the many benefits that email marketing provides.

FOLLOW THE CLOCK!

 Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach the growing digital and tech-savvy generations. Just remember, in order to reach full marketing potential, check your clock and follow the scriptures of the hour.

For more information check out the full research results and complimentary infographic at: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/science-of-social-timing-2/

Come find us on the LAUNCH Pad at the LAUNCH Conference where we will be demoing our latest enhancements to the Rezora multi-tiered email marketing system.

Founded by Jason Calacanis, the LAUNCH Conference is a gathering of start-up, most launching publicly for the first time. Find out more at launch.is.

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We are excited to announce three new features aimed to further add quality to your newsletters, monitor the activity levels of your contacts, and measure your database's effectiveness as compared to that of your fellow agents.

Custom Newsletter Links

In addition to the local and national news feeds we provide you, it is now possible to create a link to any web page and include it in your newsletter. Just click the Custom tab on the Add Real Estate News page and add the URL of the page you want to include. A summary of the page will be created that you can drag and drop onto your newsletter just like any other news item.

Contact Activity Meter

On your Rezora Dashboard, you now have a Most Active Contacts section that provides you with a snapshot of the most active contacts in your database. The Contact Activity Meter informs you of which contacts have most recently been actively engaged in the marketing materials and communications you have delivered to them.

Agent Badges

Your Rezora Ranking is a fun and easy way to determine your overall efficiency in the Rezora system compared to that of your peers.

In simple terms, the higher your number the better – a Rezora Ranking of 85% means that you are performing better than 85% of all Rezora users. The factors included in our formula include things like the effectiveness of your contact database as measured by open, click and bounce rates, measured against things like how proactive you are in using the system to communicate with your clients.

We hope that these new features help further strengthen the relationship between you and your clients and provides you with a deeper understanding of your clients' needs. We look forward to hearing any feedback you have on these new features.