About Kevin Hawkins

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So far Kevin Hawkins has created 335 blog entries.

Putting Storytelling Back Into a News Release

The art of storytelling is celebrated today as one of the most effective ways to communicate. When I first started practicing public relations, the most effective news releases were the ones that told a story. They were called feature news releases. I’m not sure what happened to them, but over the years, that term has all but disappeared from the PR vernacular. In fact, Google yields a paltry 5,700 search results for the term, which makes me very sad, as it once was the most effective way to get a reporter or editor’s attention. It was a great way to [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:49-07:00May 25th, 2017|Main category, Press Releases|Comments Off on Putting Storytelling Back Into a News Release
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Fixing Real Estate with People and 2.0 Technology

In Colorado there’s a modern brokerage called 8z Real Estate that has become known for its collaborative work environment and home to top producing teams that support one another. And despite all the competition – after all it is in RE/MAX’s backyard – it’s become a dominate player on Colorado’s Front Range. Most recently, 8z Real Estate garnered the attention of The Denver Post, which selected Boulder-based 8z Real Estate as the “Top Workplace” of 2017 for midsize companies in Colorado. And 8z and its founder Lane Hornung were also recently profiled in a Colorado Business Magazine story “8z Real [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:51-07:00May 9th, 2017|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information|Comments Off on Fixing Real Estate with People and 2.0 Technology
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RESO Honors its Outstanding Volunteers

Real Estate Standards Organization, or RESO, recently showed how massive volunteerism is in real estate. It often goes unnoticed, under the radar. But at its sold-out Spring Summit in Austin, Jeremy Crawford, CEO of RESO, took to the stage and invested time to honor more than two-dozen people in our industry. Jeremy recognized each of them for their outstanding personal contributions with a 2017 Spring Tech Summit Award. What’s amazing to think about is that collectively, these individuals contributed literally thousands of annual volunteer hours to RESO. They spent time volunteering for the seven RESO Workgroups – and one key committee – all [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:51-07:00May 8th, 2017|Main category|Comments Off on RESO Honors its Outstanding Volunteers
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Digital Designers are Killing the Content!

One of two things has happened. Either my eyesight is completely shot or magazines have somehow decided that 8-point font is legible. Unfortunately, it turns out my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be, and just about every magazine I seem to pick up these days appears to be designed by a prima donna or don who is killing the content because it’s impossible to read. The hard truth for boomers is that somehow, magazines have decided to try and make Boomers adapt to them instead of the other way around. My guess is that if you visited [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:52-07:00April 27th, 2017|Main category|Comments Off on Digital Designers are Killing the Content!
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First CoreLogic Client Deploys Graphiq Data Visualizations

IRVINE, Calif., April 19, 2017—CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today announced that Information and Real Estate Services, LLC (IRES) is the first CoreLogic client to make Graphiq data visualizations available to U.S. homebuyers. Working together, CoreLogic and Graphiq provide responsive data visualizations that graphically illustrate property lot, tax and transaction information, as well as local real estate trends, school ratings, commute times, and demographic breakdowns. Using data from CoreLogic and a variety of other sources, these striking visual representations provide deep insights and valuable context about properties and communities. “The public has access to [...]

By |2018-08-26T11:16:09-07:00April 19th, 2017|Clients, Marketing, MLS Insights|Comments Off on First CoreLogic Client Deploys Graphiq Data Visualizations
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4 Things Robotics Students Taught Me About Marketing and Communications

“Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn, and you will.” That quote from Vernon Howard sums up why I love being around students. They are so damn smart, engaging and not as jaded as the rest of us older folks. They are open to new ideas, quick to embrace innovative thinking and fast to adapt and explore new approaches. During their high school years in particular, what emerges from their minds and behaviors is an explosion of growth that is truly intoxicating to watch. I’ve been a direct witness to this as a founding member [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:52-07:00April 12th, 2017|Main category, Marketing|Comments Off on 4 Things Robotics Students Taught Me About Marketing and Communications
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RESO Reminder: New Data Dictionary MLS Adoption Deadline is June 21

Jeremy Crawford, CEO of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO), just posted this vital reminder about the upcoming deadline for MLS Adoption of the Data Dictionary 1.5: It’s less than 80 days away: June 21 is the deadline for every NAR affiliated MLS to have the Data Dictionary version 1.5 adopted. The good news is if you have an earlier version – such as Data Dictionary 1.3 – you can update directly to Data Dictionary 1.5 directly, bypassing the Data Dictionary 1.4. Remember, the Data Dictionary is not a one-and-done proposition: it is a living, growing, always improving standard that needs [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:53-07:00April 7th, 2017|Broker-Agent Information, MLS Insights|Comments Off on RESO Reminder: New Data Dictionary MLS Adoption Deadline is June 21
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Imprev and Moxi Works Integrate to Power BHGRE Rand Realty New Agent Platform

What happens when three highly respected real estate brands – one that excels in automated marketing services, another that is on fire in providing brokerage services with increased productivity and profitability solutions, and a real estate brokerage that is one of the most admired multi-billion dollar sales operations that operates in some of the most competitive markets on the East Coast – come together?  The egos get checked at the door and the results are innovation and integration, exactly what’s needed to advance a better real estate experience for everyone today. This morning Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty announced it’s [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:53-07:00April 4th, 2017|Broker Technology Research, Broker-Agent Information, Press Releases|Comments Off on Imprev and Moxi Works Integrate to Power BHGRE Rand Realty New Agent Platform
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When is the Last Time you did a Media Audit?

African-American novelist, playwright, poet, and social critic James Baldwin put it best: “Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.” That sage advice is at the heart of why every organization benefits from a Media Audit. Never heard of a Media Audit? You are clearly not alone, because despite its enormous value and incredible insight for business and communications objectives, most companies don’t use them. What is a Media Audit? A Media Audit is a survey – a deep dive into how a company and its competitors communicate, [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:53-07:00March 28th, 2017|Main category, Our Services|Comments Off on When is the Last Time you did a Media Audit?
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What Does $1 Billion Look Like?

Last year HomesUSA.com’s Ben Caballero, who has been atop of the REAL Trends/WSJ “The Thousand” list of real estate agent rankings for both total dollar volume and number of transactions since 2013, became the “World’s First Billion Dollar Producer.” It’s a feat that’s hard to get our heads around because we toss around the term “billion” so frequently we forget how truly breathtaking this accomplishment is. From a PR point-of-view, it presented a significant challenge in finding a way to put what Ben had done in the proper perspective. That was the test we faced at WAV Group Communications when [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:54-07:00March 10th, 2017|Main category|Comments Off on What Does $1 Billion Look Like?
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Is it really is possible to love your MLS?

Every Valentine’s Day, you can smell the roses, taste the chocolates and almost feel that love is in the air. It made me think of how so many companies attempt to “love” their customers, but often few customers actually love them back. In fact, from my own experience, it’s rare when a company consistently gets love letters – and rarely hate mail – from its customers. Over the last couple of decades, I’ve worked in the real estate and technology sectors, with dozens and dozens of companies that include several of the most well known brands, from hot startups to Fortune 500 [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:55-07:00February 14th, 2017|MLS Insights|Comments Off on Is it really is possible to love your MLS?
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Why a Smart Home is also a Danger Zone

A most provocative talk about Smart Homes and the dangers of the IoT (Internet of Things) kicked-off the first Hacker Connect in New York City last week. Molly Sauter, a PhD candidate and Vanier Scholar from Montreal’s McGill University, gave a presentation that scared the crap out of me when she dove into the dangers of today’s Smart Home. Now I’ve been a fan and even early adopter of affordable Smart Home tech: in the late 1980s, I had a wireless alarm system from Radio Shack and switches that allowed me to turn on lights with a remote. But that [...]

By |2018-05-03T21:22:56-07:00January 31st, 2017|Main category|Comments Off on Why a Smart Home is also a Danger Zone
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