MLS HACKED

Tech with Ty

Ty Morton
August 17, 2023

Tech with Ty.
🤖 [T]echnology: Will You Opt Out
🎓 [E]ducation/Entertainment: MLS HACKED
💪[C]oaching: The Bear
📹 [H]ow To: Not Suck at Marketing

[T]echnology😀 Talk of ChatGPT 5 is picking up, with 2024 just around the corner.

If you haven’t been paying attention, this will change the internet as we know it because GPT5 will have access to the internet. 💻

Not only is this a bit terrifying, but it’s also going to come with some important decisions.

Will you opt your website out of AI scraping and crawling? 🤔

The New York Times just did.

I believe this is incredibly short sighted.

This feels like the early days of deciding whether or not to give Zillow your data.

On one hand, it feels like a fool me once, shame on me…you can pry my data from my cold, dead hands. 📊

On the other hand (not the dead one), there are 106,000+ real estate brokers in the United States. To get ALL of them to agree on opting out of scraping and crawling would be impossible…have you ever been to an MLS committee meeting? Even if you opted out, AI is still going to the get the data you’re so desperately trying to protect from the broker down the street. 🤷

My hope is that much like your college thesis, references and links to sources will be required. In which case, you could have a major advantage over your competitors if you’re creating unique hyper local content.

Don’t think for one second that Google is over on the sidelines sleeping. I guarantee their search will be heavily powered by AI.

Like it or not, AI is the future of search. Be ready. ✅

[E]ducation: Entertainment/Education
Let’s talk about the 8,000-member elephant in the room…🐘 CincyMLS and many others have been down for over a week thanks to a ransomware attack on Rappatoni, the MLS provider.

The unexpected happened, and we were totally unprepared.

How do we function without an MLS? 😨

First and foremost, I hope this is a learning lesson for other MLSs not on Rappatoni to have a contingency plan in place. I know this is already a topic of discussion at our next Dayton Realtors MLS Committee meeting.

I do love that multiple MLSs have offered reduced fees or initiation fee waivers to help out…this is how it should be! 👏

Secondly, I truly believe this is why A) Agents need to have a CRM/database. When something like this happens, you can’t rely on Facebook and Instagram to be your only effective means of marketing. The algorithm isn’t going to magically showcase your listings to your 1000+ friends. You need to be able to push out your listings to your database via text and email. 📱

Obviously, don’t just start spamming your database with new listings. Explain to them what’s happened and ask for their help…if they like you (hopefully they do, lol), they’ll like helping you as well!

B) Agents need to be networking. I know many of you are, but this is why MLS, Realtor, and networking events are so important. Regardless of the MLS being down, this is great practice. We’ve been handcuffed with coming soon rules 👮…in a low inventory market, reach out to your network of agents and ask them what they have coming up.

As you’ll see in the coaching below, we’ve got to go above and beyond for our clients.

Notice the similarities between A and B?

They’re both dependent on relationships.

We are in a relationship business…don’t forget it. 🧠

[C]oaching:

I’m not sure if anyone else’s brain 🧠 works like this, but I often find myself taking marketing lessons from everyday experiences, including tv shows.

I recently binged “The Bear” on Hulu, and highly recommend it.

There’s a scene in season 2 (ep. The Forks) where a character named Richie starts working at Chicago’s best restaurant that really stood out to me.

This scene showcases the importance of systems to run a high-end operation but also shows the lengths this restaurant will go to give their guests a five-star experience, including sending a car for guests on the waitlist. 🤯🤯🤯

I know this may sound like overkill in real estate, but they’re doing this for guests on…let’s call it a $1000 meal for two.

What’s your average commission?

There’s a reason that some Michelin Star restaurants require a reservation up to six months in advance.

It’s all about the experience. ✨✨

So what are you doing to create that Michelin Star experience?

What systems do you have in place to keep track of and make this happen?

Being “available and there for your clients” doesn’t make you a Michelin Star Agent…

I’m seriously asking!❌❌

What are you doing to make someone’s day?

Reply to this email with your story about how you went above and beyond for a client and their reaction. I’d love to share your five-star stories! We need to do better as an industry.

[H]ow To:

Hey guys! Tyler’s marketing pal here, Abby! 👱🏻‍♀️

I’ve been in real estate marketing for over two years now, and it always amazes me how much agents really suck at marketing themselves. Yeah, I’m about to roast you guys. 🔥🔥 Buckle up.

There are around 1.6 million real estate agents in the United States, maybe 10% do social media well.

I know, I know, you are REALTORS. You didn’t go to school for marketing. Of course, you aren’t going to be a professional at marketing yourself. Fine, I get it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I know I’m young (26 years old, to be exact), but I have learned in this chaotic adult workforce world that you HAVE to keep learning. Expanding on what you already know, tossing out what doesn’t work, and striving to better yourself. 💯

People always say that young people have a lot to learn, but with the ever-expanding world of technology and social media, I actually think the older generation has a lot to learn. 👴🏻👴🏻

I find it amazing how many people resent social media. They stick their noses up 👃 at TikTok and don’t even try to put forth any effort into building their platforms when it is 100% FREE. This is a unique time for marketing because, for the first time ever, you don’t need to waste your money on tv ads, grocery cart spots, or those dated bus stop bench advertisements.

It is truly amazing to me how many small businesses have been able to take off because of consistently posting videos. For the first time in decades, the American dream of running your own mom-and-pop shop, and making a living how you want, IS NOT DEAD. 😵

https://www.insider.com/lees-noodle-house-daughter-tiktok-struggling-business-2023-2

So if I say marketing is so easy, why do so many Realtors struggle with it?

One simple word. Time. ⏰

Those expensive tv commercials, grocery cart ads, and bus stop benches did have one thing going for them, it was EASY. You say you want one, someone did the design, you forked up the cash, and boom, you don’t have to think about it ever again. Digital marketing is quite the opposite. The whole process is ongoing and constantly needing nourishment. 💧🌼

How do you make it manageable?

I won’t lie to you, there is no “less than ten-minute strategy” I can feed you that will get you the results you want. The easiest way is to hire a social media manager to do all the work for you. The cheapest way is to start with the following…⬇️⬇️

Posting something, ANYTHING, at least 3-4 times a week on two of your favorite platforms. (I recommend Facebook / Instagram) I promise you this will only take 30 minutes of your time a week.
Engage with three people a day on social media. Your past client just got a new job? Woo, comment on their announcement post. Someone you are following is asking for sushi food recommendations. Comment on a local spot you love. Stay top of mind with your past / future clients.
Keep it current. When thinking of content to post, think about what is happening in your area. What is the talk of the town? Did a new coffee shop just open down the street? Are they adding on to downtown? Are they finally filling in that giant pothole that everyone in town hates? Nothing is off-limits.
Stay consistent. Realistically you won’t start seeing a difference until 1-3 months. Yeah, I know it sucks. But, If you are the one person who doesn’t give up, I promise you it will make a difference.

There is so much more you can do than the above four items, but my goal is for this to be achievable, not overwhelming. 😰😰 Now stop making excuses because that Realtor at the brokerage you hate might not be making those same excuses.

- Ty Morton