Molly Castelazo's blog

October 2, 2009

REALTOR.com® Blogs

In this post I give an overview of the funny-named microblogging service that has taken the world – even the business world – by storm. Learn what @username means, what a hashtag is and what RT stands for. Plus learn 6 tips for using Twitter to build your real estate business.

It’s been almost two months since I last wrote a post for www.CMRealEstateMarketing.com.

October 16, 2007 by Sheri McConnell

This blog post is so good -- and so relevant to me personally right now – I just had to “re-blog” it (with Sheri’s permission, of course). Enjoy!

Last Thursday I opined on the question “What is spam?” I said I would blog this week about the CAN-SPAM Act (what you don’t know can hurt you). The fact is, no matter who you are or what you do, if you ever send e-mail to prospective clients (leads) you should be on the up-and-up regarding spam.

Passed in 2003, the CAN-SPAM Act (formally Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003) sets guidelines for e-mail marketing. If you don’t obey the law, you could get into legal trouble or (perhaps even worse) get your name, address, and/or website domain (yourwebsite.com) blocked completely by the major Internet service providers (which largely control the flow of e-mail).

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Today I’ve got a direct mail postcard. I’ve taken out the agent’s name, photo and contact information.

I’ve been on Twitter for about two weeks now and have built up a small-but-respectable following. Today, I sent a direct message (not a public Tweet) to all of my followers. This was the message:

Only 2 more days to save 25% -- Realtor Marketing Strategies Ebook! www.cmrealestatemarketing.com/real-estate-marketing-strategies

I got a direct message back from one guy who said, “Thanks for the DM spam, I appreciate it.”

It caught me off guard because getting out there and marketing my services is way outside of my comfort zone anyway, and the thought of being labeled a “spammer” really makes my blood run cold. Had I become the dreaded s-word?

When I begin working with a new real estate agent client, invariably one of the first things I ask my client to do is to give me her “spiel” -- to pitch me as if I were a prospective client of hers.