Monday’s program on Jumpstart Your Marketing included a wealth of ideas and examples of how to navigate the modern marketing mix, including new approaches to websites, how to select the right social media platform for the job, and knowing when to let the product speak for itself. Among the case studies and client examples, the speakers shared a handful of resources guaranteed to help marketers make better use of their time, get a new perspective on their work, and reach their target audience.

Here are four new tools CRE marketers should know about:

Speakers at NAIOP's Jumpstart Your Marketing program (l-r): Susan Shelby, Mo Doerr, Diane Danielson, Steve Steinberg, Tina Snyder

• HootSuite – One of the best tools to automate and organize social media, HootSuite allows you to post once on multiple channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and others), as well as scheduling tweets, retweeting, and tracking. As Diane Danielson said “This allows me to write once and publish twice!” We use the service as well, and have found it invaluable for managing NAIOP’s social media efforts.
• Texting To Sell – Tina Snyder, speaking with colleague Steve Steinberg, shared this cost-effective way to generate leads from property signage. A call to action is displayed asking passers-by to text a unique Mobile ID, after which they instantly receive two text messages back: The first shows pictures and listing details for that property, the second provides contact info with an option to receive an immediate call back. Each time a property’s unique Mobile ID is texted, you receive an alert with your prospect’s contact information. It’s a simple, effective and low cost option to generate leads!
• Guts: Advertising from the Inside Out, by John Lyons: A classic how-to book recommended by Mo Doerr, who raved about the author’s provocative approach to strategy.  One of her favorite quotes: “Have teeth, will bite. A strategy is a carefully designed plot to murder the competition. Any idea that makes your competition hate you, cry foul, or quietly invoke Chapter 11 qualifies.” (currently out of print, but still available online)
• Facebook –Facebook isn’t new, but what many don’t realize is that it has greater customization options than may be obvious. Diane used the landing page for SouthField as an example, showing how, through careful use of custom tabs and graphics, they were able to fully brand their Facebook Page, keeping it tightly integrated with the rest of the SouthField marketing materials.

These are just a few of the tools available to today’s marketing professional – what are your favorites? Is there a tool you can’t live without, or one you wish you’d never wasted your time on? Let us know – comment today!