This is the fourth, and not nearly final post, in a series chronicling the inbound marketing journeyof HubSpot customer, Randy Chavers of RE/MAX Metro Atlanta (RMA), from his early decisions about inbound marketing, through selection, setup and success with HubSpot!
Now, as we are caught up to how his story is unfolding, we'll keep sharing interview style, even if that means blogging about any rough patches along the way. If you are just joining us now check out the whole series to follow Randy's Inbound Marketing Journey.
When we talked to Randy in April, he talked about onboarding and how he learned that doing the homework his HubSpot Inbound Marketing Consultant gave him was critical to his learning and let him make the most of his calls. Once onboarding was over, and Randy was officially an inbound marketer on his own, there were still some big steps to take, what with additional real estate system integrations, doing his day job and buying some tools to make his video blogging ideas a reality.
Randy, after looking at your early results, I noticed that you had a lull but are now starting to really get into blogging and driving traffic results. What happened during that lull?
Even though I had a great blueprint of what I needed to do after my onboarding, I feel like our situation was unique and maybe more complex than most. I still needed to figure out how I wanted our HubSpot processes to work with LoneWolf, a back office realty management system, and LeadStreet, the RE/MAX lead management service that we also use for our business. Between that and the IDX integration, I still had a lot of foundational work to do.
The other thing that I did during the months leading up to May was get myself re-oriented to the CMS. We needed to build out a lot more content on the CMS - which I've done and which I am now methodically optimizing page by page using HubSpot's Page Grader.
What changed that has you blogging more actively now?
Some of the concepts we talked about, using video to engage folks, really made a lot of sense to me. I had this idea that if between me and the realtors, we could capture the most compelling moments and living experiences in the Atlanta area, and then brand it as the Peach City Guide - we could become the source of information for families moving in or around and wanting to purchase a home.
Once I got the right tools, I was rolling. But I will offer that I tried a few tools first ... as much as I really like the Flip video for quick snaps, it didn't have the audio quality I needed. Ultimately, I am using the Q3 from Samsung along with an external mic. Between the great equipment and some excellent video advice I got from success.hubspot.com, I am video blogging from local festivals and other points of interest.
Now, how are you going to get realtors, who are NOT used to creating content and sharing their opinions online to blog?
It's a good question. This is as much a cultural shift as a functional one for any realtor. But, as in many industries, the Pareto rule or even more extremes apply - in fact, according to NARI, 7% of agents do 93% of the real estate transactions. That means, if I can do a pilot with some of the most successful realtors at RMA and show results, the rest of the team will adopt. It's ROI plain and simple. Because of what I've seen with HubSpot and I know that inbound marketing is the right direction for real estate, I feel really good about the pilots. In fact, I recently saw how Shannon King, an award winning realtor from Texas, practiced inbound marketing to drive amazing amounts referrals and it just proves the point that remarkable content & brain power really work!
Coming Soon ...
Next time we talk to Randy, we'll get a real time update of how the summer is shaping up for real estate in Hotlanta. Check out the entire RE/MAX Metro Atlanta Inbound Marketing Journey Series.
Originally published Jun 1, 2010 8:00:00 AM, updated January 17 2023
Topics:
Blog