When there is a pre-construction project that I'd like to feature on my website or in a blog, I'll approach the developer or broker to ask if I can use their photos. People want photo to get their attention, not just text, or a photo of a vacant piece or land or an old building that will be torn down. Many agents just copy from the developer's promotional materials, which is copyright theft, and despite some of my competitors (in this sense I must call them competitors rather than colleagues) taking and using the photos on their sites, I won't do that without permission. I ask, and I ask, and people are always going to look into it, but somehow it never happens. The same applied to Signature Place, a wonderfully unique condo to be built in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, where EVERY unit will have a water view of Tampa Bay.
I recently wrote, sans photo, a short blog about Signature Place. One of the comments came from Joel Cantor, the developer. He subsequently called me and invited me to lunch, together with his Director of Sales and Marketing, Debbie Newman. I have sold several units in the building, so I wasn't unfamiliar with/to these people, but the blog on ActiveRain obviously hit a cord with the developer that I was doing some unique marketing. We had a mutually enjoyable and beneficial lunch, feeding on each other's ideas. My suggestions of how to extend their marketing and exposure without additional cost, by allowing me permission to use their photos in my marketing (noting that the project was being marketed by Smith & Associates, and not implying that I was their marketing agent) made sense and I now have their permission to use their photos. Thanks, ActiveRain.
Sharon,
No doubt you stepped outside the box to make this work. Good job! I like to refer to these dangling of carrots as "Unique Selling Propositions" (USP's)