eMerge

Meet Emma, Edina Realty's Marketing Suite
In the dynamic world of real estate, where every listing and every client interaction counts, efficiency and consistency are paramount. Edina Realty, the top real estate sales company in the Midwest for over two decades, has continually sought innovative ways to streamline its marketing efforts while maintaining the highest standards of quality and service. Recently, they've made significant strides in this endeavor with the introduction of their automated digital agent assistant called Emma, powered by Inside Real Estate's (IRE) CORE Listing Machine (CLM) and Design Center. (More information about Emma is at the bottom of this article.) At the heart of Edina Realty's success lies a commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the market they serve. With 2,300 Realtors spread across 75 offices and a remarkable track record of 18,000 transaction sides and $7.4 billion in sales volume in 2023, Edina Realty stands as a beacon of real estate professionalism in Minnesota, Western Wisconsin, and South Dakota. It takes a lot of marketing automation to produce this level of success. I jumped on a spotlight webinar with Edina Realty to hear first-hand how they are accomplishing so much with Emma. Webinar Panel Ken Katschke – SVP Product at Inside Real Estate David Schmid – VP Product Development at Edina Realty Shannon Bodick – Marketing Manager at Edina Realty Sara Parks – Graphic Designer at Edina Realty The cornerstone of their latest marketing initiative is the integration of Inside Real Estate's CORE Listing Machine and Design Center six months ago. This powerful duo offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to automate and streamline the marketing process, ensuring brand consistency and saving valuable time for agents and staff alike. One of the key advantages of Emma is its seamless integration with Edina Realty's existing systems and workflows. By consolidating marketing efforts within the kvCORE platform, agents can now effortlessly create, customize, and deploy marketing materials directly from their CRM. This integration not only simplifies the process, but also enhances agent satisfaction and adoption rates over other solutions that require agents to SSO into another product. Edina did retain an SSO connection for print; they are connected to Xpressdocs – a long time partner of Edina that the agents love for the combination of price, quality, and distribution functionality. Brand consistency is another area where Edina Realty shines. With a dedicated team of marketing professionals overseeing the process, they ensure that all materials adhere to the company's branding guidelines, from colors and fonts, to sizes and layouts. This meticulous attention to detail not only reinforces the Edina Realty brand, but also instills confidence in clients and prospects alike. Generally, the Edina brand carries the Red theme, but they also support a black theme for their luxury Exceptional Properties. The flexibility offered by the CORE Listing Machine allows for customization at scale. While automated marketing packages are generated for common listing statuses such as "Coming Soon," "New Listing," "Open House," "Price Reduction," and "Sold," agents have the freedom to create custom materials tailored to their specific needs. This balance between automation and customization empowers agents to market their listings effectively, while maintaining a personal touch. Edina believes that marketing support through Emma is a center of excellence for the brand. They maintain a core team at the home office, but enable individual agent support at the branch level with marketing coordinators, office administrator, and sales coordinator. At the branch level, they can log into an agent's account and support unique marketing customization. Branches also have a library for local events. Beyond its internal benefits, Emma serves as a powerful recruiting tool. By showcasing the company's cutting-edge marketing capabilities, they attract top talent looking to elevate their game in the competitive real estate landscape. Additionally, the program's integration with recruiting presentations (CORE Present) and enterprise-wide marketing efforts further enhances its value proposition. Looking ahead, Edina Realty remains committed to innovation and excellence in real estate marketing. With plans to expand analytics capabilities and further optimize agent adoption rates, they are poised to maintain their position as a market leader for years to come. Today, overall adoption rates are 60%. Emma represents an iconic standard in real estate marketing, combining automation, customization, and brand consistency to deliver unparalleled results. By leveraging the power of Inside Real Estate's CORE Listing Machine and Design Center, they have unlocked new levels of efficiency and effectiveness, setting a new standard for the industry. A significant issue with marketing centers industry-wide is loading and programming the marketing materials. The bulk of this work can be performed by the marketing staff at the branches or the home office, but some automated templates need to be programmed by the design team at IRE. Edina reports that turnaround is a day or two for rush orders, and always less than two weeks. There is a paradigm shift emerging in real estate. For decades, brokerage firms would not partner with tech vendors who were providing services to strong competitors. The classic example of that was Booj, who would only offer their product to one, non-franchise firm in any market. Today, firms are realizing that being differentiated with your tech vendor is less important than the product features and functionality. Success comes from engaging with the product, getting staff buy-in, and modifying the tools to reflect your business systems and brand. There are 400,000 users on KV Core today, but each broker can really make it their own. The old adage is true, skills are not measured by the tools you have, it's how you use them. A few last notes about Edina that I could not easily squeeze into this article. They recognize that 5% of consumers in their market are Hispanic. In 2024 and beyond, look to expand marketing in Spanish. The marketing team really loves the ability to unpublish certain content – like seasonal content in their libraries. About Emma Emma Rovick was the founder of Edina Realty. Please take a moment to read her story, and celebrate another great woman of America whose success came from real estate. If you want to listen to the full webinar, visit this link. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group

Roomvu Launches in the U.S. in Partnership with LeadingRE, Realty One, and More
Roomvu has announced its expansion into the U.S. in partnership with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE), Realty One, and a growing network of enterprise and corporate partners. As an award-winning company recognized among the CIX Top 20 most innovative real estate technology companies in Canada and venture capital-backed by NAR REACH, Roomvu stands at the forefront of a growing trend in video marketing in the real estate industry. With a mission to transform property and personal marketing for real estate professionals, Roomvu leverages the support of NAR REACH, the investment arm of the National Association of REALTORS®. This strategic partnership fuels Roomvu's U.S. launch, aiming to deliver unparalleled marketing support to real estate agents and brokerages with its advanced technology and services. Jeff Kennedy, Vice President of Sales and Partnerships at LeadingRE, praises Roomvu for revolutionizing the marketing landscape with its innovative approach. "Roomvu sets itself apart with its advanced marketing strategy, offering a comprehensive suite of tools designed to elevate your marketing efforts. Roomvu's video customization capabilities empower you to create compelling visual content tailored to your specific needs, enabling you to captivate and resonate with your audience like never before. With Roomvu, you can rest assured that your marketing needs are fully met, allowing you to focus on what you do best – serving your clients and growing your business," says Kennedy. Roomvu's AI marketing assistant platform offers automated, hyperlocal content creation, empowering real estate agents with a consistent and engaging online presence. This service is especially valuable for brokerages aiming to enhance their brand and agents striving to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. "Our expansion into the U.S. is not just a milestone for Roomvu but a significant opportunity for real estate professionals across the country," said Sam Mehrbod, CEO of Roomvu. "Our partnerships with LeadingRE and RealtyOne are just the beginning. We are committed to providing our innovative video marketing solutions to help agents and brokerages enhance their brand visibility, engage more effectively with clients, and ultimately drive business growth in today's competitive and challenging market." The U.S. launch comes after Roomvu's successful track record in Canada, where the company has made significant strides in transforming real estate marketing through technology. Roomvu's solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of the real estate industry, making marketing more accessible, effective, and efficient for agents and brokerages alike. "The residential real estate industry is ripe for innovation, and Roomvu's entry into the US marks a pivotal moment in this transformation," said Tyler Thompson, Managing Partner at Second Century Ventures and REACH. "By leveraging AI to produce customizable, hyper-local videos for REALTORS, Roomvu is setting a new standard for property

eXp World Holdings Revolutionizes Real Estate Radio With 'KGCI Real Estate on Air' Partnership
eXp Realty announced a partnership with "KGCI Real Estate on Air," an online streaming radio channel. The platform was created to empower, inspire and foster professional growth for all real estate agents through a dynamic mix of educational, insightful and motivational segments. "KGCI Real Estate on Air is a complete game-changer for our industry," said Bryon Ellington, Chief Learning Officer, eXp Realty. "It's a one-stop-shop for all the knowledge and expertise agents need to thrive in their day-to-day operations. Through this partnership, we envision KGCI Real Estate on Air becoming an indispensable resource for agents everywhere, empowering them to develop their skills and stay at the forefront of an ever-changing industry." KGCI Real Estate on Air features daily broadcasting, and is designed to build community and provide guidance to agents. The channel will also keep agents updated on the latest industry trends and opportunities, ensuring they stay ahead of the curve. According to statistica.com, internet radio's reach in the U.S. has increased sharply in the last decade with 75% of the population having listened to online radio in December 2023, compared to 45% in the previous 10 years. Weekly online radio consumption among U.S. listeners has also increased, growing from 12% in 2007 to 70% in 2023. One of the most exciting aspects of KGCI Real Estate on Air is the inclusion of agent voices from around the globe. eXp Realty agents Knolly Williams, Hollie Kitchens, Ricky Carruth and Carrie Soave are just a few top-producing agents who will be sharing their insights and experiences on the channel. "As an agent, I can tell you KGCI Real Estate on Air is exactly what we need in the real estate industry today," says Monica Weakley, another top-performing agent at eXp Realty and member of eXp World Holdings Board of Directors. "In today's landscape, agents face a constant influx of change. This station seeks to foster an open dialogue that promotes continuous learning and thoughtful discussions, ultimately fueling professional growth. Together, we will embark on a journey to elevate the real estate industry, and I am thrilled to be a part of that." Tune in to KGCI Real Estate on Air daily at realestateonair.fm. "We're excited to see the impact this radio channel will have on our agents and the real estate industry as a whole," said Ellington. "Let's tune in and start this new chapter