RE Connect 2009: A Major SuccessBy Ron LaMee

AAR Vice President, Information Services

AZR September 2009

Arizona REALTOR® Archives
2003 - 2010

Arizona REALTOR® Publication Information

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RE Connect has focused on real estate technology and new business models for nearly 20 years. This year’s San Francisco event was one of the best I ever attended. Inman News founder Brad Inman fielded a combination of relevant, cutting-edge content, great speakers and an interactive format that generated great energy. Contrary to the idea that the industry is dying by inches, I noted an atmosphere of optimism and excitement about the future. The conference changes every year, but this is what you might have seen at RE Connect SF 2009…

Day One. The first day included three different tracks: Bloggers Connect (social media strategies and tips), Connect Tech (deeper, programmer-level content) and an Internet Marketing Summit (websites, lead generation, advertising). I found AAR’s Communication and Technology chairman Evan Fuchs in the Blogger’s Connect session. The presentations were so engrossing that we barely moved out of our chairs all day.

I started the day as a lukewarm Facebook/Twitter/blogging advocate and left with a vision of how these tools will not only benefit me personally but become part of a new marketing strategy for real estate. I have begun revising my Facebook page, started several Twitter accounts and started following several blogs. Key take-away: If you’re not faithfully reading Jay Thompson’s www.phoenixrealestateguy.com award-winning blog, stop right now and read it. I mean it!

Day Two. The next day was focused less on technology and more on the real estate business. Sherry Chris, CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, discussed her take on the future of real estate. She noted that our industry is good at identifying problems but not solutions. We say that consumers are starting to control the process, but what are we doing about it? With 73 million echo boomers in the market, it’s critical that we identify how they act as consumers. Chris offered these suggestions:

Culture – The agent-driven environment isn’t working. Brokers and agents need to create a trust relationship.
Social Media – It’s not enough to just have a website. Redesign your marketing approach and integrate social media.
Lead Generation – There is much duplication of effort. Agents need to let brokers do this and spend their time serving clients.
Education – Don’t teach agents to hard sell. Teach them how to become a partner, a trusted advisor.
Attract Good Agents – Avoid “puppy farms.” Find the best agents and keep them.
Branding – “All about me” needs to change. Branding must focus on the value proposition.

Also on Thursday were tracks on the MLS, Technology & Media and “Deep Dives” on specific topics. I bounced around and sampled everything. Fortunately, Inman offers presentation notes and videos covering most (if not all) of the sessions to its premium members after the conference, so I’ll be able to recapture anything I missed.

Day Three. The final morning was a fast-and-furious series of presentations offering some new insights and recapping many of the key concepts. Throughout the conference, we were delivered “Ten Ways to ...” or “Eight Tips for…”—concise lists of ideas or resources to add immediate value. AAR will be sharing some of the best on Twitter, Facebook and in future issues of Arizona REALTOR® Magazine.

To learn more about RE Connect, click on the Events tab at www.Inman.com.

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