Main Entry: 1slang
Pronunciation: ‘sla[ng]
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
1 : language peculiar to a particular group

I describe slang as verbal shorthand, a collection of acronyms and abbreviations that everyone uses during their daily lives. It seems like every field of human endeavor has its own collection of letters and nonsensical words that mean something to whomever works in that field. It may be words jammed together to shorten them, a group of letters that describes a procedure or sometimes to describe a boss.

As a photographer, virtual tour provider and real estate marketing consultant, I am as guilty as the next person of using verbal shorthand. I have also worked as a mortgage originator and real estate agent, so I have a large vocabulary of short words. Usually I do not think too much about the slang that I use around other real estate types, for the most part we share a common language. A conversation a few weeks ago reminded me that new slang is not picked up by all members at the same rate.

I was having lunch with a real estate agent and a local builder. The agent is one of my best clients and the builder had met me previously when I shot a tour of his home. We were meeting to develop a marketing plan for a subdivision that would feature his homes. While waiting for our food, I quizzed him a bit to get a feel for his knowledge of the internet, 360 virtual tours etc. I already knew the agent was trying hard to get up to speed and would not hesitate to have me explain anything that she did not understand. The builder turned out to be pretty knowledgeable.

Just as I was about to start on the basics of the marketing plan, our food arrived. In front of me was a beautiful heart-attack on a plate in the form of a double cheeseburger with half a pound of bacon on top, the gravy fries were just a great bonus. The agent (poking her salad) asked how people were going to find the information for the subdivision.

Eyeing my cheeseburger I said, “What I was thinking was a webpage added to your site, we will buy a URL, redirect at the domain provider with lots of META TAGS for SEO, hyperlink the VT on the page for more SEO thru RTV. We will use the URL in your MLS as the VT link; push the link to Realtor.com so we have the VT icon there. If you can afford it we could use a PPC campaign with its own URL and redirect to the webpage, track hits thru charges and compare it with hits on the VT to decide what works best. Of course a blog would be great, a blog with an RSS feed would be better. The basics still need to be covered; links should be included in your e-signature for your e-mails, forums, news letters and drip campaigns.”

I took my first bite of my cheeseburger as I watched them absorb the beauty and thoroughness of the marketing plan that I had devised. Sadly, that was to be the last bite for awhile as I explained what it all meant.

RTV providers are more than virtual tour providers. In my opinion we have the best looking and user friendly tours available. But, there is more to a virtual tour than the end product. We have access to people within the company that are dedicated to seeing providers succeed. The knowledge and training that the company provides so a provider can succeed is also very relevant to help a real estate agent succeed. If that is not enough, in the provider only forum we providers share knowledge of current technology, agent concerns, marketing ideas, ways to improve our photography skills and much more. RTV providers can provide more than virtual tour and directions on how to link it.

If you understood my marketing idea, you might want to consider shooting your own virtual tours as an in-house provider. If you want a professional to assist you in showing a listing at its best, while maximizing exposure of the property, contact an RTV full service provider today. You can add some more slang to your vocabulary.

Roger Hall
Sunwheel Consulting
989-277-1317