October 9th - 2007

Podcasting can boost your marketing efforts

Technology has forever changed the world of real estate marketing.

Technology has forever changed the world of real estate marketing. Home buyers and sellers have become more technologically sophisticated and expect REALTORS® to have the same savvy when it comes to online listings and marketing strategies. Sellers want maximum exposure for their listing and buyers want to be able to access home information quickly and easily.
 
Podcasting, another innovative Web 2.0 application, can be a useful marketing tool for REALTORS®, whether you're considering becoming a podcaster yourself or just want to listen and learn from other podcasts. A podcast is simply an audio program which listeners can subscribe to via an RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed. They are often audio versions of blogs and can be downloaded to any computer device capable of playing audio files such as desktop computers, laptops, MP3 players, iPods, PDAs, or cell phones. Podcasts can be used to entertain, inform, or promote and sell a product or service.
 
The current popularity of Podcasting can be linked to the rapid adoption of MP3 players over the past few years. In 2005, a Pew Internet and American survey showed that more than 22 million American adults own iPods or MP3 players and 29% of them have downloaded podcasts from the Web. And, if you think it’s only teenagers using portable media players, think again. Although almost one in five (19%) of those ages 18-28 have iPods/MP3 players, the survey found that 14% of those ages 29-40 have them; and 11% of younger Baby Boomers (ages 41-50) have them. In addition, the results indicated 6% of older Baby Boomers (ages 51-59) and 6% of those 60-69 use MP3s.
 
Podcasting for REALTORS®
REALTOR® podcasts can cover home buying and selling tips, market conditions in specific local areas, opinions on real estate and the economy or real estate investing. There’s even the possibility to create a “vodcast” which includes video images along with audio. With vodcasting, REALTORS® could do a virtual walk through of a listing or a walking tour of a neighbourhood highlighting features and amenities. In addition, real estate firms could use podcasting to update sales representatives on company information, new policies and benefits.
 
The first step to creating your podcast is choosing your audio content. As mentioned earlier, many podcasts are derived from blogs so that may be the best place to start. You’ll also need to choose the application you will use to record the audio. For PCs, one example is Audacity. It's free and allows you to mix together multiple audio files. GarageBand – also free -- is a popular choice for Macintosh.
 
Next, you must save your finished audio at maximum quality and convert the file to MP3 format. Most users will be able to access your podcast using MP3 format.
 
Finally, publish (or save) your MP3 files to your Web server, and test them with any MP3 player and create your podcast news feed. Podcast feeds are RSS files that describe your podcast, along with information for each show. An RSS file is just a text file that links to your MP3 file.
 
Podcasting can be a low-cost way for REALTORS® to share their expertise and reach customers, but keep in mind it can be time-consuming. To keep listeners and potential customers coming back to your podcast will require effort and imagination. For more information on how to create and market your podcast check out the following site, http://blogforfunandprofit.blogware.com/blog and search “how to podcast”, or type “how to podcast” into your computer’s search engine and you will find plenty of guidance.

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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Senior Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.

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