Are you making New Year’s resolutions for your real estate marketing plan in 2022? Make sure you include Agent Insight, a quick and easy way to increase your business opportunities, increase your internet presence, and grow the RE/MAX brand in your area.

Agent Insight is provided to you by your region and allows you to present personal, conversational, and informative posts to potential and current clients. Agent Insight makes your photo, contact information, listings, and website readily available to consumers, but you also have the opportunity to post on any aspect of your community that you think will interest potential home buyers and sellers. Schools, restaurants, recreation and sports venues, local businesses, annual festivals and celebrations:  anything is a good choice for you to introduce consumers to your area.

If you are among the hundreds of agents already making submissions to Agent Insight, thank you for your participation. As discussed in our article, A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats, all agents reap the benefits through the collective work of every RE/MAX sales associate.

If you are new, welcome! You’ll find all the directions you need for making submissions on our blog, Insight Insider. Start with our Getting Started series of articles. Here are a few tips to make your learning curve a quick one:

• Post regularly to make the most impact and keep your submissions fresh.
• Present a balanced view of your community with a wide range of local venues and activities as your subjects.
• Write in first person as if you are talking to clients as you drive them through town viewing properties.
• Take a few seconds to frame your photos (and never shoot through the windshield!). Always use a landscape format.
• Make your headlines and captions interesting because that may be all some viewers ever read. Make them count!

In 2021, we had several thousand submissions sent by agents from many states. All were appreciated and posted in Agent Insight’s neighborhood, city, county, and school pages. Many were outstanding written posts and others were beautifully composed photos with informative captions. Each month, many of the “best of the best” were added to Insight Insider’s Featured Insights section, which is a great place to look for inspiration and ideas for your own posts. We would like to recognize the agents whose work was included in Featured Insights in 2021:

Sharon Allen, Kansas City, MO
Jacob Ainsworth, Diamondhead, MS
Kendall Arnold, Gulfport, MS
Daniel Ashley, Blue Springs, MO
Linda Bernat, Wichita, KS
Kathy Batesel, Bonner Springs, KS
Rick Bauer, Waterloo, IA
Paula Bellamy, Osage Beach, MO
Austin Bittner, Pleasant Hill, IA
Gina Feltner Bouws, Marquette, MI
Lori Casteel, Greenbrier, AR
Emily Clemens, Long Beach, MS
Tom Compise, Oklahoma, OK
Jennifer Cox, Kansas City, MO
Adrianne Dean, Yukon, OK
Ryan Eashoo, Davison, MI
Jennifer Fields, Edmond, OK
Calvin Gabbard, Harrison, AR
Cindy Gaffney, Cedar Falls, IA
Kelsey Gilbert, Oklahoma City, OK
Mandi Gipson, Ottawa, KS
Felicia Harris, Blue Springs, MO
Kiley Hartzler, Orange Beach, AL
Shelly Hazle, McAlester, OK
Kellie Hillier-Genschaw, Marquette, MI
Shelly High, Shell Knob, MO
Sindy Jensen, Marquette, MI
Cameron John, Oklahoma City, OK
Becky Johnson, Canton, MI
Militza Juban, Hammond, LA
Chelsea Klimkewicz, Osage Beach, MO
Gary Lazarus, New Orleans, LA
Marygrace Liparoto, Northville, MI
Mark Lizyness, Flat Rock, MI
Sandra Lowrey, Huntsville, AL
David Mackle, Birmingham, AL
Leah Mancuso, Omaha, NE
Debbie McDowell, New Orleans, LA
Beth Merrill, Fenton, MI
Debbie McDowell, New Orleans, LA
Addison Miller, Little Rock, AR
Kelly Mitchell, Prairieville, LA
Kristina Moosavi, Oklahoma City, OK
Cara Mossington, Rochester, MI
Susan Tice Niethammer, Ann Arbor, MI
Jennifer Olson, Tulsa, OK
Darohnn Pender, Bentonville, AR
Jon Ritten, Diamondhead, MS
Shawn Rowden, Davison, MI
Kristin Ruther, Grand Rapids, MI
Lynette Sorensen, Cedar Falls, IA
Vicky Sowden, Saginaw, MI
Shawnna Summers, Tulsa, OK
Dana Tapia, Orange Beach, AL
Andrea Thomas, Davison, MI
Julie Thompson, Mountain Grove, MO
Jay Trapani, Diamondhead, MS
Damien Tullier, Prairieville, LA
Kris Turner, Heber Springs, AR
Malia Turner, Lee’s Summit, MO
Lorenzo Washington, Brighton, MI
Gina Watts, Tulsa, OK
Jeff  With, Tulsa, OK
Joyce With, Tulsa, OK

Submissions to Agent Insight are easy and fun to do. Use your creativity and show off your market area! We look forward to all your posts in the coming year and wish you much success with your real estate sales in 2022.

If you see a photo of a towering arch above the Mississippi River, you know immediately that you are looking at St. Louis. See a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge and you know it’s from San Francisco. There are nationally known landmarks in cities across the country, as well as local sites that are well known in their towns.

Local landmarks make great subjects for your written or photo submissions to Agent Insight. As with everything you post, you are showing clients what they can expect to see and do in your area. These icons add so much character to your community pages and help round out the coverage you give to neighborhoods and developments.

Many agents have already posted landmarks from their communities that have become symbols of the city. Examples include the Desert Dome at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE; Birmingham’s Sloss Furnace Company that helped grow that city when it was young; the historic Union Station in Kansas City, MO; and the breath-taking St. Louis Cathedral in New Orlean’s French Quarter. Take a look:

Each of these sites has wide recognition, but you can likely find local symbols that are very well known within a smaller region. Some may be gorgeous, some may be whimsical. Take a look at the two below. You’ll see the stately courthouse in Howell, MI, and a crazy spider sculpture featuring a Volkswagen Beetle centerpiece outside of Lexington, OK.

As you continue to build each of your community pages, remember to showcase your local landmarks, famous or not. Agent Insight gives you such a great opportunity to portray all aspects of your area, in addition to the housing market. Paint the big picture, and have fun while you do it!

Contributors include:  Lindsey Krenk, RE/MAX Results, Omaha, NE; Matt Hargrave, RE/MAX Heritage, Lee’s Summit, MO;  Mark Moceri, RE/MAX Platinum, Brighton, MI; Jeremy Moosavi, RE/MAX Lifestyle, Oklahoma City, OK.

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us once again! This is a perfect opportunity for you to showcase the diversity and richness of your community. Photo opportunities are (literally) around every corner. Get out your camera, and get ready to capture these images and share them on your favorite Agent Insight community pages.

Since Agent Insight launched in 2013, you all have shared so many excellent holiday submissions that include neighborhood decorations, local traditions, and holiday community events. We’ve picked out what we consider to be the best-of-the-best, our Holiday Photos Hall of Fame, in order to brighten your season and share some inspiration as you plan your posts for 2021.

Halloween kicks off the two-month holiday season with spooky neighborhood yard decorations, scary haunted houses, pumpkin patches, and trunk-or-treat parking lot events. Do you have a favorite you’d like to share? Submit it to Agent Insight!

Thanksgiving is a little tougher because it seems to get lost in the quick transition from Halloween to Christmas. However, you can write about special Thanksgiving feasts being prepared by local food kitchens. Snap pictures of a cornucopia brimming with gourds, vegetables, and pumpkins in a store window. Cover anything concerning pilgrims and the Mayflower, but especially remember the turkeys!

Finally, it’s Christmas. The month of December is a treasure trove of light displays, neighborhood decoration contests, and greenery everywhere. Take a photo of the Mayor’s Christmas tree, write an article about local holiday concerts and plays, or cover the annual parade, including Santa in his sleigh.  Many neighborhood entrance monuments are decorated for the season, making themselves easy targets for your camera lens. Here are some great pictures from Christmases past.

We hope these beautiful images have given you some inspiration to find the perfect photo opportunities in your own community. The next two months will be over before you know it, so take a deep breath and try to enjoy the time with your families and friends. We can’t wait to see what new photos we can add to our Holiday Hall of Fame for next year!

Photo credits:  Tonya Chevis, RE/MAX Along the Way, Long Beach, MS; Paula Bellamy, RE/MAX Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, MO; Kathleen Freeman, RE/MAX First, Russellville, AR; Militza Juban, RE/MAX Select, Hammond, LA; Julie Pohlad, RE/MAX Results, Omaha, NE; Jon Ritten, RE/MAX Coast Delta Realty, Diamondhead, MS; Deb Staley, RE/MAX Realty Suburban, Shawnee Mission, KS; Jennifer Olson, RE/MAX T-Town, Tulsa, OK; Donna Fitts, RE/MAX of Orange Beach, Orange Beach, AL.

According to a recent study by the National Association of REALTORS^®, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused sales of vacation homes to skyrocket. Beachfront condos, cabins in snow sport regions, lakeside homes…you name it. The market is booming, making these property areas great subjects for your Agent Insight pages.

Remember, this is not the place to show individual properties. However, it is a great marketing venue to present popular vacation areas. Talk about amenities, such as swimming pools, lake or beach accessibility, tennis courts, golf courses, biking/hiking trails, etc. Vacation spots are always in beautiful places, so you’ll have unlimited opportunities for dazzling photos.

Second homes with access to the Gulf of Mexico are in great demand. RE/MAX agents in Alabama and Mississippi are doing an excellent job promoting the area. Michigan agents have submitted posts about both summer vacation spots along the Lake Michigan shoreline as well as exciting places for winter sports enthusiasts. In Missouri, there are so many beautiful locations for summer homes, including the booming Lake of the Ozarks area. The Jersey Shore offers beachfront homes that attract buyers from across the country.

Many of the current photos and written submissions give potential clients a good look at these wonderful locations for a second home. Here are four of the photos with credits shown below.

For an excellent written insight about another vacation location, take a look at the following submission  from Jacob Ainsworth, RE/MAX Delta Coast Realty in Diamondhead, MS. It has a fun and compelling headline paired with a good first-person paragraph. Jacob is describing for potential clients how much they would love this gorgeous place for a vacation home.

The Most Not Talked about Place to Vacation
I have always loved the beaches at Henderson Point. The condos at Inn by the Sea offer the quietest relaxation on the Mississippi Coast. While hanging out on the beach recently, I met some folks from Dallas. They were intrigued when they stumbled across our town and the complex while searching online. I remember her saying, “we wanted to go to Gulf Shores, but when we found out you had a beach it saved us the extra two hours in the car.” She went on to say, “We love it here, we want to tell all our friends!” Being a native Texan, I remember being surprised at the Mississippi beaches – it’s the reason I never left once I stopped by here.  A staycation waiting to happen, the Inn by the Sea offers the only condos on the sand – pools, grills, and fun included. But keep it quiet. It’s a secret!

There are such amazing vacation areas in every state. You can market them well with your Agent Insight posts.

Photo credits:  Peyton Yarborough, RE/MAX Paradise, RE/MAX of Orange Beach, Orange Beach, AL, Jill Giancola, RE/MAX  Surf Side, Cape May, NJ; Paula Bellamy, RE/MAX Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, MO; Stephen Brochu, RE/MAX Grande, Grand Blanc, MI.

The Twin Power Team, headed by twin brothers Gerald and Gordie Sorensen, puts plenty of emphasis on their Agent Insight submissions. Part of the RE/MAX Home Group in Cedar Falls, IA, the team has submitted nearly 1,130 posts in the past five years. They report that they have received many leads from their Agent Insight work, as well as comments from clients about what they see on their pages.

It’s a family affair with the Twin Power Team. In addition to the two brothers, the rest of the team includes Gordie’s wife Lynnette Sorensen,  Gerald’s daughter Heather Nicholson, and their brother-in-law Tad Ritter.

All of the team members are life-long or long-term residents of Cedar Falls, so their knowledge of the community runs deep.

“We love the area and know everything about it,” said Gordie Sorensen. “We are active in many organizations, serve on various boards, and attend church. Our participation helps us stay current on what’s happening in the community.”

At the team’s weekly marketing meetings, Agent Insight is always on the agenda. They discuss upcoming events that would make good insights and determine which subdivisions need coverage. They also share their plans for the week’s showings and activities they will be attending where they plan to take photos.

The team’s Agent Insight coverage includes a wide variety of places  and amenities in the Cedar Falls area, including parks, lakes, hiking/biking trails, restaurants, stores, holiday decorations, architecture and landscaping, the local University of Northern Iowa, and many subdivisions and housing developments. Here are a few examples of their work:

“We take our marketing plan very serious, and Agent Insight truly does boost our business,” said Gerald Sorensen. “The posts are so simple to do, and it has been effective for us.” The Twin Power Team plans to continue submitting photos and written insights several times every month, investing their time into this proven marketing tool.

Every photo or written insight you have ever submitted or thought about submitting to Agent Insight looks different in the spring and summer seasons. If you have shown or discussed a feature earlier in the year, revisit it now.  Tom Compise, RE/MAX at Home in Edmond, OK, posted an earlier photo of the city’s elegant Crystal Bridge structure. Now, he’s adding one from a different angle featuring the lush tulips blooming outside.  It’s a great way to enrich his original post and show off some spring beauty.

The next four months should inspire dozens of ideas for your posts. This is a spectacular time of year to show off the beauty of your area and the myriad of diverse activities available. 

Make a list of all the possibilities for great spring and summer coverage of your market area. Here’s a kick-start:

• Blooming trees, shrubs, and flowers in your neighborhoods, parks and storefronts
• Baby animals, bird houses and feeders, ducks on a pond
• Vacation destinations in your area
•  Summer sports. including  baseball, soccer,  hiking, biking, golf, tennis, boating, waterskiing, swimming, and fishing.
• Holidays:  Memorial Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Flag Day,  Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day
• Food venues like picnics, restaurants with outdoor dining, grilling at a neighborhood block party, farmers markets
• Outdoor theaters and concerts, movies in the park, drive in theaters
•  Parks, dog parks, walking paths
• Festivals
• Flea markets

We’ve received many great seasonal photos over the years. Here are just a few with the credits listed at the end of the article.

Be sure to write about fun sights and activities to do in the spring and summer, too.  Look at these excellent examples (the writers are listed below):

Good Morning, Long Beach!
The beaches are waking up with the rise of the sun broadcasting colors you’ve never seen a painting capture. Pelicans are playfully diving for a seafood breakfast while statuesque herons wade patiently for their catch….

Golf? Check. Beaches? Check. Pools? Check. Check.
And this is only the start of the many amenities available at Kiva Dunes. A scenic drive down Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, Kiva Dunes is your one-stop destination along the beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast….

The Hummingbirds Are Back
I get so excited when I see the first hummingbird of the season every year. This year, there were two in my first sighting…The full numbers and crew that stay for the summer aren’t here yet, but the numbers are building….

Photos Credits:  Damien Tullier, RE/MAX Select, Prairieville, LA; Paula Bellamy, RE/MAX Lake of the Ozarks, MO; Rudolph Aversano, RE/MAX Best, Ronkonkoma, NY; Julie Williams, RE/MAX Bayshore, Frankfort, MI; Stephanie Ruzzo, RE/MAX Classic Realty, Somers, NY; Jacob Ainsworth, Mississippi Gulf Coast Agents, Diamondhead, MS.

Written Insight Credits:  Emily Clemens, RE/MAX Along the Way, Long Beach, MS; Dana Tapia, RE/MAX of Orange Beach, AL; Shannon Rooke Nuckols, RE/MAX First, Russellville, AR.

Posting your insights on Agent Insight is easy, but there are some guidelines that must be followed in order to maintain the site’s high standards of quality. Your submissions usually will appear live on Agent Insight within one business day, but there are a number of things that can cause delays.

No  Duplicate Content
We want to keep the SEO ranking of Agent Insight as high as possible so prospective clients will be able to find your work there quickly. Therefore, all your pictures and written insights must be your original work. Photos or written words cannot be copied and pasted from any another internet source. Duplicate content will hurt the Google ranking of the site, which means that your submissions will not be found as easily when a consumer does an internet search.

No Personal Advertising
Please refrain from any self-promotion or from marketing specific listings in your submissions. The purpose of Agent Insight is to present a complete picture of the entire community. Instead of focusing on a listing, give plenty of coverage to the neighborhood’s amenities and why people choose to live there. The more you submit insights in the various communities you serve, the more often you will be presented to the consumer as a local real estate expert.

It Still Applies – Location, Location, Location!
Submit your insights to the most specific community page possible. This could be a neighborhood, development, school district, city, or county, depending on the subject matter of the post. It is interesting to note that Agent Insight has much higher SEO ranking on our subdivision pages, often ranking in the top 10 of search results! So submit as often as possible on these subdivision or condominium pages in order to maximize your internet exposure.

No Identifiable People
It’s fine to submit photos of people in a crowd or from the back as long as they cannot be easily identified. This includes your own family members or anyone who gives you permission to use their faces in your post. We would also ask that you refrain from posting images of people who are wearing a mask.

Horizontal Photos
All photos published in Agent Insight must be taken in landscape orientation, meaning that you hold your camera in a horizontal position. If you want to include a vertical subject, such as a church steeple or a soaring office building, step back until you have a good horizontal composition of your tall subject. The clock tower photo below by Marshall Dines, RE/MAX Lighthouse in Petoskey, MI, is a good example.

Everyone Benefits!
As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” The guidelines that exist are intended to make Agent Insight a top-notch resource for all of a consumer’s real estate needs. Higher SEO rankings means more traffic to the site, which means that all participating agents will receive maximum benefit.

As you plan your Agent Insights submissions, be sure to include posts that describe the history of your community. Every town has much to draw from, such as stories about the city founders or how the streets got their names or when the area was originally settled. What made the city grow? Was it located near a river or seaport, natural resources, maybe a major railroad line? Use historic details to present a richer, fuller picture of the area and give potential home owners the opportunity to feel a deeper connection to the area.

Jennifer Olson, RE/MAX T-Town in Tulsa, OK, has submitted many posts about the history of her marketing area in Eastern Oklahoma. She says she wants her Agent Insight information to “cover everything that demonstrates my knowledge of the area to potential clients.”

She frequently posts a pair of insights about a town, with one telling about things to do there and the other explaining some of its history.  Here are some excerpts that might inspire similar posts you can do for your own community.

History of Claremore
Claremore, meaning “mountain with a clear view,” got its name from an Osage Chief known as “Gra-moi” who was among the first settlers in the area.

A Little Fun Fact about Bartlesville
The town of Bartlesville was established in 1875 by Jacob Bartles. He started the first trading post in 1875. Once it caught on, a post office was opened in May of 1879.

A Little of Coweta’s History
In 1843, a man by the name of Robert Loughridge arrived in the Wagoner County area. He created a mission that was originally named “Koweta.” As a town grew around the mission the name became Coweta.

Jennifer has posted both photos and written insights about special historical features. The sculpture shown here is of the famous cowboy, actor, and newspaper columnist, Will Rogers.  You’ll find it in Claremore, OK, where the Will Rogers Memorial Museum is located.

Jennifer posted an excellent insight about Tulsa’s Gilcease Museum. “Are you familiar with the Smithsonian located in Washington D.C.?”, she writes. “Well, Tulsa offers a major history museum of the American West that is just as good!’ she says. ” Founded by oilman Thomas Gilcrease, the Gilcrease Museum houses the most comprehensive collection of American West art in the nation.”

Jennifer has posted over 430 Agent Insight submissions. She says she works hard to choose subjects that will enlighten her clients on features of Eastern Oklahoma. Some of her historical posts are just for fun. For example, the original Historic Route 66 ran through Tulsa at one time, and Jennifer has included several photos about the sites and restaurants located along the famous highway.

“If I think something is cool, my clients will, too, she said. “Why wouldn’t any agent contribute to Agent Insight when it’s so fun and easy, too? It’s such a great way to enhance your marketing plan.”

Everybody loves dog stories, right? Using man’s best friend in photos and articles adds value to your insights in multiple ways. It gives depth and perspective and puts part of your personality into the post.

The photo above from Gina Feltner Bouws, RE/MAX 1st Realty in Marquette, MI, is a perfect example.  There are hundreds of beautiful lake photos, but by including the dog, Gina makes this one personal. (Sidebar:  notice how well she framed this photo with the dog off-center and the sun hidden behind a tree trunk so it doesn’t put a huge white spot in the scene. Nice job, Gina!)

Dog pictures can be really fun to use while showing off your area. Dog parks, stores with dog bowls outside on the sidewalk, pups greeting customers at shop doors, working dogs in the field with livestock, another waiting for the bell to ring outside the school yard fence….the ideas are endless. You’ll have interesting, clever photos featuring your furry friends that let you say something about local stores, schools, rural areas, parks, etc. The collection below shows dogs at the fishing hole, in the office of a doggy bakery, riding in a truck, and enjoying a boat ride.

There are so many dog-related topics to use in your written insights, too. In addition to those already mentioned, you can talk about local veterinarians, pet shops, off-leash dog parks, or pet supply stores.

And don’t forget about cats! Kristin Ruther, RE/MAX of Grand Rapids, MI, submitted a wonderful insight about Debruyn’s Seed Store in Zeeland, MI. Along with details about the store itself, she included, “Last time we visited we were able to meet Butternut, ‘the manager,’ a sweet, loving, orange cat that they brought out for the kids to pet.” That fun little extra shows that Kristin has actually been to the store and is sharing a real recommendation.

Whether you are a dog person or a cat lover, use your pets to help give credence and color to your insights.

Photo credits:  Shannon Rooke Nuckols, RE/MAX First, Russellville, AR; Team Nina Clare and Dave, RE/MAX Real Estate Results, Bentonville, AR; Grady and Linda Stone, RE/MAX Lakefront, Wedowee, AL; Lisa Rossi, RE/MAX Bayshore, Traverse City, MI