New Media « 6 Degrees Group

New Media

Press Release: BLU Uses 2-D Barcode Tag for Virtual Model Tours and More

PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Lennar Urban – BLU, San Francisco High-rise is 1st to use Microsoft Tag Barcode Technology for New Home Marketing

Polaris Group, a real estate sales, marketing and consulting firm, announced today that it is contracting with 6 Degrees Group to implement a smartphone marketing campaign by deploying Microsoft’s new 2D bar code technology, Microsoft Tag, for the penthouse release of Lennar Urban’s luxury downtown high rise – BLU. 6 Degrees Group released a new service to industry partners in January 2010 called ITS – Integrated Tagging Solutions, through which they pair barcode technology with specific, customized marketing objectives to capture the ever-increasing mobile market.

BLU is a 21-story residential tower over a single story podium containing a retail space and residential lobby at Folsom and 2^nd in San Francisco. Located in San Francisco’s vibrant South Beach -SoMa District, BLU will benefit from customized retail window and directional signage with tags. The frontage will feature a tag showcasing a virtual video tour of the new penthomes narrated by Sales Manager, Wendy Novia. Busy professionals in the area will be able to snap the signage with their smartphones to get the latest information at BLU before, during and after sales center hours. The custom tag will also be placed in the newspaper advertisement, allowing a multi-media dimension to a once flat ad.

Microsoft Tag connects almost anything in the real world to information and interactive experiences on your mobile phone. The “Tag” is a graphic image bar code that creates an instant connection to the Web via an end-user’s smartphone browser.

How does it all work? When a consumer downloads the Microsoft Tag application and then snaps a picture of a Tag, the application performs an action, such as opening a Web browser and taking the consumer to a URL or launching an online video. Consumers simply go to gettag.mobi to download the Tag application, and then they’re ready to snap away.

“Bar code technology for mobile devices is an emerging technology in the United States and has unlimited potential to increase the end user’s experience by expanding upon a message usually limited in print and sign media” said Kirstin Burghart, owner of 6 Degrees Group . “Microsoft Tag allows for the fusion of traditional and new media”, she said. “The potential for this technology is virtually unlimited as it empowers the consumer by giving the buying public the information that they readily need in a convenient and portable way”.

About Lennar Urban

Lennar is one of the nations’ leading builders of quality homes. With more than a half century of experience, Lennar is committed to Quality, Value and Integrity. These principles are the underlying foundation upon which Lennar was established, and this commitment continues to guide business decisions today.

About Polaris Group
Polaris Group is a sales, marketing and consulting firm with years of experience in successfully bringing new residential real estate to market in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.

About 6 Degrees Group
6 Degrees Group is a new media marketing group specializing in real estate community branding.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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5
Apr 10

More Than Just Topography

New Bing Maps and Augmented Reality Bring Imagery to Life

Bing Maps has evolved into a robust mapping system, challenging Google Maps for a slice of the on-line mapping market.

Meta data, user-submitted images integration and with the introduction of augmented reality (physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery) overlay, Bing Maps has an impressive array of tools and gadgets to make it a toe-to-toe contender with the best of the mapping giants.

Finally, a real reason to geo-tag those Flickr photos. Bing will allow your property, community and the surrounding points of interest to come to life. Get on the map and become part of the virtual world!

Watch the video below to see what’s new in the world of Bing Maps. We’re sure you’ll be as excited as we were with all the new technology that will further enhance mapping visibility.

Gotta love competition and a free market place.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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24
Mar 10

YouTube Is Massive

WOW. YouTube has recently announced a huge milestone/statistic:

24 hours of video is now uploaded to the social video site every sixty seconds.

Just think about that stat for one moment. It may be hard to wrap your brain around the fact that for every second you are browsing YouTube, 24 minutes of video is uploaded to the site.

That is a 17% increase in upload rate from just 10 months ago…. An impressive increase by any standard and another statistic that video is here to stay and will become an even bigger player in your media mix.

More than two million minutes of video (or 34,560 hours) is now uploaded onto YouTube per day. Simply amazing!

The video site even provided a graph depicting its growth:

In less than two years, YouTube has doubled its upload activity. And of course, YouTube is owned by Google, so video will play an even more important role in organic SEO campaigns for your brand.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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26
Feb 10

Google Search & New Location-Based Options

Understanding the importance of locational searches, Google has just added a new “Nearby” tool to the Search Options. So what does all this mean? Just that users can refine results for a more custom search process which is focused upon location.

You have to try it out for yourself to actually experience the power of this new tool. To give it a test-drive, do a normal Google search, then select “Show Options” -> “Nearby.” This feature allows you to switch between your default location and a custom (of your choosing) location. Filter results by city, state or region. It’s all up to you!

Google is very aware of the importance of geo-tagging and location-based searches. The search giant’s location services will complement each other more and more, from location searches to social-media check in technology, all in an attempt to create an entire location-aware Google experience for the end-user.

Can you say “Location, Location, Location”?

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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29
Jan 10

Active Listening through New Media

Listening is part of the process of learning. In real estate development, traditionally, builders and marketing firms have projected what the demographics and psychographics of a target market would be based on past experiences in that location and based on the mix of units (size, floor plan type, price projections, style, finishes, etc.). It is amazing how many new tools are out there that can act as a real-time focus group!

New media, geotagging and mobile technology allow us to gain valuable, specific and increasingly relevant insight into the interests of a particular neighborhood geography and its demographic. By listening to our fans and followers and paying close attention to their interests and concerns, we are able to provide valuable content, build trust and potentially overcome objections.

How to actively listen through New Media:

Research by analyzing the analytics of a pre-launch campaign. Note what cities are most interested in your community and what VR videos, floor plans and price ranges received the highest number of hits or had the longest viewing time.
Google search your development name and see what bloggers, micro-bloggers and Yelpers are saying about your product and neighborhood.
Review who has listed your Twitter community and what/who else is on their list.
Review your community Facebook fans and see what other fan pages they have listed.
Create a blog and pose questions to your readers or approach a popular blogger to write about a particular subject that may help you gain valuable market insight.
Create a Gravatar, and when appropriate pose a question related to the hosts topic (i.e. Architectural style, Specific neighborhood…)
Post an open ended question on sites like Trulia or ActiveRain to gain Broker opinion. (i.e. What size space are your buyers looking for in X neighborhood)
Listen to feedback via mobile geosocial sites like Gowalla, Foursquare, Blockchalk, Yelp and Groundmap. Users can not only check-in via mobile and notify others through a tweet or Facebook message, but they also have the capability of leaving a review, recommendation or quick note about the place visited. Ideal for Broker tours, open houses, homeowner testimonials and unique new home events, right?

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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9
Jan 10

Hopscotch anyone? How about Foursquare?!

Foursquare is a geosocial networking application that allows users to connect with their friends, update their location, and earn reward points by using mobile devices. The application is a free download and works with the iPhone, android, palm and blackberry (a blackberry app is being introduced next week). Tech Crunch on Foursquare

Foursquare was built as a mobile device that allows the end-user to explore their city, discover new places and share recommendations with friends, much like a mobile Yelp with Facebook undertones and the gaming qualities of Zynga. When you check-in to a particular place you are able to leave feedback for others, leaving a stream of recommendations, reviews or comments at each location. People check-in at all kind of places – cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices. Foursquare keeps tabs on who’s the most loyal of all the regulars through a point system. The competitive spirit kicks in and participants are driven to unlock a new badge and move up the ladder to achieve the ultimate reward – becoming the “mayor”. Since so many users have their smart phones connected to Twitter, you often see tweets like, “I just ousted KBurghart as the mayor of Arterra.” If you’ve been to a place more than anyone else, you’ll become “the mayor”… until someone else comes along and steals your title.

Businesses in major cities are utilizing this mobile, social technology to drive traffic to their locations and many are rewarding their customers for the most frequent number of visits by offering a free coffee, happy hour pricing all night and even free hotel stays.

6 Degrees Group has recently put Foursquare into play at several of our new home developments. We believe it is an ideal traffic generator and incentive tool to gain testimonials about a community. Next time you introduce a new floor plan, model, phase or plan a Broker Preview event, try a promotion connected to Foursquare, gowalla or Yelp and incentify participants to check in and give a testimonial or review.
What are the benefits?

Drive REALTOR® Traffic
Reward the REALTOR® with Most Frequent Visits/Showings (Check-ins)
Word of Mouth Marketing/Buzz
Geotagged Advertisements (sent via Twitter)
Homeowner, Prospect & Broker Endorsement via social sites (Twitter/Facebook)
Homeowner Reward Programs (Mayor of Building)
Ability to Learn More About Target Market (Psychographic & Demographic)
Unique Opportunity to Listen/Obtain Feedback

What do you think about integrating non-traditional mobile marketing methods into the mix? Do you have any success stories that you’d like to share?

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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2
Nov 09

Think You Aren’t A Part of New Media, Think Again

There are a lot of misconceptions that social media channels and new media are only used by GenY and younger. Facts and statistics debunk that theory, but how about putting this paradigm shift into common sense examples in various age brackets?

I recently hosted a dinner party with friends and family from age 5 to age 66 at my home. It was a typical Sunday evening dinner: children playing tag, parents chatting over wine and parents of parents talking about their recent travels. But then something strange happened. Suddenly I was hearing very familiar terms like “Facebook”, “YouTube” and “Yelp” in each conversation. Immediately, I became intrigued…

While the 5 year olds played games on iPhones and pre-teens to teens were texting or showing each other photos and videos on their phones, the parents and grandparents were engaged in serious discussion over a bottle of Zin… My father hopped up from the table to change the ipod to some Ella Fitzgerald, while my mom got out her laptop to share some Flickr photos of recent travels. Several friends were discussing a new restaurant in the neighborhood and I overheard, “It’s fantastic. You should try it…I made it a favorite on my Facebook page.” Then the conversation turned to travel. “We had such a great time and the hotel was in the perfect location, so we could walk to everything.” ”How’d you know where to stay, if you hadn’t been there before?” “Yelp. We planned everything by doing a Yelp search – lodging, meals…” Meanwhile, two of my friends were discussing a local festival and one friend said to the other, “You always know about everything that is happening around here, how do you keep track?” “The other said, I follow all of our local spots on Twitter. You should totally do the same. A lot of local businesses give away discounts and free stuff.”

The topic of whether or not someone had responded to an Evite yet came up. Discussion of the grandkids pictures on Facebook came up, as well as, photos of a new home. The men gathered around the computer to show each other funny videos that they saw on YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook and were engaged in gut wrenching laughter. My father ranted about inaccurate facts on a blog forum he reads. My mom raved about how cool it is to get new Netflix recommendations because she can never remember movie titles that she wants to watch. When her friends agreed, she said “I’ll friend you, since we have similar taste in movies, and that way we can share recommendations.” They enthusiastically agreed.

We are already culturally immersed in all of the social media platforms, new media and technology at every age. Many of us are participating in reviews and providing feedback to brands, while others are using ratings and endorsements to guide our decisions. Think you aren’t part of the new media paradigm shift, think again.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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1
Nov 09

Building Maker – 3D Google Earth Buildings made easy

Adding 3D buildings to Google Earth just got a lot easier. Before, you were required to use Google’s Sketch up 3D program to add your building to Google Earth. Now there is the simple to use browser-based Google Building Maker, coupled with the Google Earth browser plugin to add 3D buildings to any of the 50 cities worldwide where this project is currently active.

All the user has to do is simply align a 3D wireframe model of the desired building and a textured 3D model is saved to the Google Sketchup warehouse. Once your model is approved, your model will appear on Google Earth. This adds dynamic imagery of your building to neighborhood amenity location maps.

Overall, we feel this easy-to-use feature will greatly enhance your 3D experience in Google Earth. It would be nice to see this technology evolve into a virtual online retail experience for the end users. Time will tell.

Have a look at the introductory video:

To get started with Google Building Making, click here.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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7
Aug 09

Stats……love ‘em, loath them

* the hottest growth area through 2014 will be in social media and mobile advertising – Forrester Research Interactive Advertising Forecast 4/09 (US only)

* the 35-54 year old demographic is growing fastest, with a 276.4% growth rate over the last 6 months – istrategylabs.com 2009 Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report

* There are 6,116,180 Facebook users between 23-43 years of age on the West Coast – facebook estimates 08/09

* Facebook is the 4th Largest Site in the World! http://bit.ly/18wRoH

* According to comScore, Twitter had 20.1 million unique visitors in the United States in June, some 34 times the 593,000 a year earlier.

* Number of Social Networking Users Has Doubled Since 2007 – http://snipr.com/o5ix2

* Huge growth for Twitter & Facebook. From June 08 – June 09, Twitter up 1,928 %; Facebook video is up from 2.4 million to 12 million.

* New Study Indicates Social Media Pays; Correlation Between Brands’ Social Media Efforts and Financial Performance http://short.to/k6xj

* Hackers attack Twitter, Facebook also slows down By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer – Thu Aug 6, 2009
“I had to Google search Twitter to find out what was going on, when normally my Twitter feed gives me all the breaking news I need,” said Alison Koski, a New York public-relations manager. She added she felt “completely lost” without Twitter.

You can’t turn on your computer today without being barraged by the news filtering in from the social media craze. Sorting through all the data and statistics is a full-time job. So what can we deduce from all this data? Just this…..

Social Media Web is here to stay and isn’t going away anytime soon.

In today’s market, you need ALL tools and methods at your disposal. Social Media Optimization (SMO) is the next generation of media in the new home marketplace. Those that don’t jump on board will eventually be left behind.

So what does this mean for your marketing department workload? Does my marketing team need to be chained to a computer until the wee hours of the morning signing up, utilizing and learning protocol and etiquette on Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, Blogger, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, SmugMug, Yelp, etc?

The answer is “No”; marketing departments are operating lean in today’s environment. They need to focus on their daily tasks and partner with industry professionals who manage the entirety of your social marketing campaign needs. Trust us, it’s more than a full-time job staying up on trends and being able to introduce appropriate and effective social media tools that can lead to increased awareness/traffic for your development.

So when you look at shrinking print readership, increased social media activity and couple this information with the cost effectiveness of having your product “engaged” in Web 2.0…..you arrive at the undeniable conclusion:

You can’t afford to put yourself at a disadvantage in today’s marketplace.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

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3
Aug 09

Mobile Video Will Be King

mobile Gone are the days of traditional marketing methods. New technologies and consumer awareness are setting the tempo and pace of today’s marketing strategies.

Online promotions, especially in video, will command center stage with the digital consumer. Mobile & wireless devices will dominate in the years to come. When designing new websites for your community, be sure to include a mobile ready version to accommodate the growing popularity of viewers on smart phones.

Now is the time to rethink your marketing mix and implement forward thinking technologies in order to be more competitive than ever.

Study: Mobile Video Users Most Valuable To Market To

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality

6 Degrees GroupNew Media for Real Estate Communities & Hospitality

New Media

Press Release: BLU Uses 2-D Barcode Tag for Virtual Model Tours and More

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Active Listening through New Media

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Mobile Video Will Be King

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