eCards, eCards and more eCards
I'm determined to get this update out before I go home tonight!  It's National eCard week! Well ok, I made that up, but this IS the week we are loading the Prudential Select Properties series of eCards into the system. Below is a complete list and a sneak peak of what will be available by Friday.  If you have additional suggestions email me at sarah@discoverstl.com.

 

eCard Line-Up

• Holiday: New Years
• Holiday: Valentine's Day 
• Holiday: St. Patrick's Day
• Local: Storm and Tornado Tips
• Spring Forward  
• Local: Cardinals Schedule
• Local: River City Rascals Schedule
• Holiday: Easter
• Client Event: Photos with the Bunny
• Contest: Easter Coloring Contest 
• Garage Sale Tips 
• Local: Six Flags Discount
• Local: Summer in St. Louis 
• Local: StL Patios
• Local: One Tank Trips from StL
• Holiday: 4th of July
  
• Company Event: SSK Golf Tournament 
  
• Local: Mizzou Football Schedule 
• Local: Rams Football Schedule Waiting for schedule release
  
• Local: Wineries
• Fall Back
• Holiday: Veteran's Day
• Client Event: Pumpkin Patch
• Contest: Halloween Coloring Contest 
• Thanksgiving Letter
• Thanksgiving Wish
• Contest: Thanksgiving Coloring Contest 
• Why List over the Holidays
• Holiday Online Shopping Tips Coming Soon
• Request a Letter from Santa
• Client Event: Photos with Santa 
• Winter Car Care Tips Coming Soon
• Client Event: Blood Drive 
• Client Event: Magic House 
• Client Event: Community Shred Day 
• Buyers - New Customer Registration Letter  Coming Soon
• Buyers - Open Houses eCard
• Buyers - PHL Preapproval
• Buyers - Accepted Contract Checklist 
• Buyers - HSA 
• Buyers/Sellers - Moving Checklist & Discounts
• Buyers/Sellers - Connect Your Utilities 
• Buyers/Sellers - Lowes Discount 
• Sellers - HSA
• Sellers - Open House Tips Coming Soon
• Sellers - After Contract Checklist Coming Soon

Buyers Campaign 
I've asked Jana to put together a Buyer's - Accepted Contract campaign.  This campaign will include the following eCards: Accepted Contract Checklist, HSA/Home Warranty, Moving Checklist & Discounts, Connect Your Utilities and Lowes Discount.  This way you can just turn it 'on' for your buyers and cease to worry about getting this information out to them.  I'll let you know when it's available. 

Website Buttons
We'll also be creating buttons for your website to point to specific pages and resources. For example a button for the local winery information or holiday shopping tips.  You get the idea. 

Summer Seminar 
We've scheduled Rick DeLuca to join us on June 15, 2011 for a presentation on "Avoiding the 20 Biggest Agent Mistakes." The presentation will take place at the St. Louis Association of Realtors from 9:00 - Noon.  RSVP to your office admin as soon as possible because space is limited.

Orlando Contest
George and Jana have been hard at work to bring you our Hello Orlando Prudential Convention Contest.  Your activity (closed sales, open houses, new listings, TeamBuilder hires and closed sales volume) between May 1 - September 30th will earn you points to possibly win round trip airfare, three nights hotel stay and convention registration for the 2012 Convention in Orlando. Here's a flyer with complete information:

If you read that closely you'll note the contest has already begun! Yes, we're tricky that way. Congratulations to the agents who are already qualified for our drawings:

• Lisa Burkemper, Troy (6 points)
• Eleanor Lyons, Des Peres  (7 points)
• The Kerlick Team, South County (7 points)
• Chrissy Krewson, Town & Country (13 points!) 

I'll be talking to you again soon.  Have a great Tuesday!

Sarah

Stuck for an idea the other night I asked my 8-year old daughter what I should blog about.  (By the way, I find most of life's questions can be answered by asking my 8-year old). 

"Just blog about what you do, "she responded.

Which was just the reminder I needed.  The reason I started this blog in the first place was to pass along to you what we are doing and why we are doing it. And then I wondered if you knew who 'we' were? I thought I might want to write at least one post about who we are in the marketing department.  The team is made up of myself, Jana Rice and newcomer, Nancy Logan. 

Nancy joined us just a few months ago. She's learning the ropes right now which for her includes putting together the St. Louis Post Open House ads and Your Next Home ads, updating the Resource Center, adding agents to our systems and assisting in general Help Desk and marketing duties. She is responsible for nasty things like deadlines and numbers in excel sheets. . . and she does an exquisite job of keeping things timely and orderly.

Jana really needs no introduction.  She's definitely a familiar name and face to you.  If you don't know her from your office meetings or company training sessions than you probably know her as the person who always answers the phone with a smile on her face. Jana joined us back in 2004, in the same month we introduced our current website system.  She's evolved with the system from aid, to trainer, to the authority on what the system can do and how to do it.  I even go to Jana with questions. She's been involved every step of the way on creating eBusiness policies and web-marketing strategies. 

And I'm Sarah. I introduced myself last year, promised you blog updates and disappeared for another year into obscurity.  Anyway, I joined Prudential Select Properties in 2003 just 11 months after they opened their doors. I had worked at a St. Louis RE/MAX office while working towards my Graduate Degree in Digital Media at Lindenwood.  After graduation it seemed an easy step to combine the marketing principles I'd been learning in class to the field of real estate I was already in.  So here I am, 8.5 years later. And goodness we've come a long way. Back in 2003 I stepped into a department that didn't exist and needed to be built from the ground up.   There was no Resource Center, no website system, no marketing materials or tools.  And while I'm thrilled with the progress we've made in putting together the tools and technology you use today I still feel like there's so much I still want to do for you. The rest of the year these projects are near and dear to my heart: 

• Evaluating and updating the tools and marketing materials we offer you
• Seeking out the best ways to distribute your listings online and push more leads to you
• Positioning Prudential Select Properties as the local choice for St. Louis real estate

As always your ideas are welcome; email me anytime at Sarah@DiscoverStL.com.

Talk to you soon,  

Sarah

P.S. Jana's been working on a list of events in and around St. Louis this summer.  An eCard is in the system that links to this list and is available to send to your clients.  She'll be sending out step-by-step instructions today in her Tuesday Tech Tip. I'll be sending out a complete marketing update next week with new materials!