Video Contest Winners Announced at Convention

The Buy NOW Mississippi Video Contest winners were announced during the General Membership Session at MAR's Annual Convention & EXPO on Wednesday, Dec. 2. All of the videos were fantastic and creative but we could only choose the top three for prizes. The winners of the contest are:

1st place
Patricia Boyd Fleming “Trish”
REMAX Southland Real Estate
McComb
“For Sale by Owner Blues”




2nd place
Caroline Upthegrove
Bob Langner Realty
Tupelo
“Buy Now Mississippi”



3rd place
Matthew David Johnson
CryeLeike Properties Unlimited
Columbus
“The Best Around Mississippi” (one of two videos he submitted)




To watch a playlist of all of the submitted videos click here.

We'd also like to thank all of the other participants who put in time and effort to create and submit a video and make the contest a success:

LMAR Honors Class

LMAR Class of 2009

Lee Garland
RE/MAX Alliance
Brandon

Sherry Pullens
Elite Realty
Picayune

Ellen Smith
Royal Realty Group, LLC
Madison

Michelle Fradella
Pinnacle Real Estate Services, LLC
Picayune

Mark Warren
ERA Real Estate Professionals
Ridgeland

The video contest deadline has passed and now it's time to do the judging! The judges will review the selections and MAR staff will contact the finalists. The winning videos will be revealed at MAR's Annual Convention. From all of us at MAR, we'd like to say "Thank You!" to all of our participants for taking the time and effort to record, edit, and submit a video. Keep up the fantastic video work to expand your business' sphere of influence!

Last call!

Today is the last day for video entries. The contest ends tonight at midnight. Thanks to all of our entrants so far - we have some great videos!

Hurry and submit your video before time runs out!

With the recent extension and expansion of the tax credit (made possible by strong REALTOR® political support), it truly is the best time to "Buy NOW, Mississippi!" We've had some excellent entries to the video contest so far. You still have a few more days to get in your last minute video. The winners will be announced and played at MAR's Annual Convention in Biloxi, Dec. 1-3.

Contest deadline extended to Nov. 20!

Don't panic! You can still submit a video to our contest. MAR has extended the deadline to Nov. 20 to accommodate more entries. But don't wait until the last minute. Upload and submit the video as soon as possible to avoid technical problems or forgetting about the deadline!

Time is running short!

It's time to get serious about submitting your video to the Buy NOW Mississippi video contest. Call 601.932.5241 and ask for Autumn Calhoun if you need additional details. I look forward to seeing some great videos!

If you need the Buy NOW Mississippi logo, you can go here: http://msrealtors.org/Images/BuyNow/buy_now_logo_med_noborder.jpg. Right-click on the image and choose to save it.

Sample vids

We've posted some sample videos to the Buy NOW MS YouTube group if you would like to check them out. We've included comments in the videos to help explain how they were put together, image and music sources, etc. If you'd like to download a copy of the video without comments for distribution to clients or prospects, go to http://msrealtors.org/Tools.php and watch or download the videos.

Also, we'd like to remind everyone to be cautious about violating copyright law. You cannot include logos, trademarks, or music without permission. Coincidental use of logos or brand names are usually fine. One thing that usually trips people up is music. Even if you buy a song from iTunes or bought a CD, this does not necessarily give you permission to redistribute or reuse the song. The Center for Social Media put out a fantastic video highlighting some quick and easy fair use rules that every video creator should check out.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video could be worth a thousand bucks!

In an effort to help REALTORS® get the word out that now IS a great time to buy, MAR is hosting a Buy NOW Mississippi Video Contest. The contest begins on August 17 and ends on November 1. Winners will be announced at Convention at the beginning of December.

Entering is simple!

>> Make a short video that creatively addresses either (a) why buyers and sellers should use a REALTOR® or (b) why now is a good time to buy in Mississippi.

>> The video cannot be longer than three minutes and must contain the words “Buy NOW Mississippi” in text or audio.

>> Participant must be a Mississippi REALTOR®.

>> Each participant may submit up to 3 videos.

>> The grand prize is $1,000! Second prize is $500 and third prize is a Flip Mino™ video camera (a $180 value).

How to submit a video:

1. Sign up for a YouTube account

If you are not already a member of YouTube, go to www.youtube.com, click Create an Account and register for an account. It's free and only takes a few minutes.

2. Join the Buy Now MS Video Contest group

Once you are a member of YouTube, join the YouTube "Buy NOW Mississippi" Video Contest group. Go to http://www.youtube.com/group/BuyNowMSVidContest and click Join Group. After you request to join the group, your request will have to be approved, so please allow for a few hours for this process.

3. Email buynowmscontest@msrealtors.org with the following information:

• Your full name
• Your NRDS number
• Your preferred contact information (phone number, email address, etc)
• Your YouTube username (but NOT your password)
• The URL for your videos(s) you plan to submit. To find the URL, view the video. In the box to the right underneath your information will be a box labeled URL. Simply copy and paste this information.
• We use this email to help verify that you are the owner of the video AND WE MUST RECEIVE THE EMAIL BEFORE WE WILL ALLOW THE VIDEO TO BE ADDED TO THE GROUP! As soon as you've sent this email, you may proceed to step 4 (you do NOT have to wait for a confirmation email).
  

4. Add your video to the group

• Go to your YouTube account
• In the upper right hand corner click the yellow “Upload” button to bring your video onto the site (If you need more help doing this, please refer to the Help Section).
• Once the video is uploaded, view your groups by going to Account and then to Groups (under the heading More). Choose the YouTube Buy Now Mississippi Video Contest group page.
  
• Once you are on the page, click “+Submit a video." Choose which video to add by copying and posting the video's URL in the specified box and clicking Post. To find the URL, view the video. In the box to the right underneath your information will be a box labeled URL. Simply copy and paste this information.
• The video is then reviewed to ensure it meets the contest requirements, then approved and posted. Please allow a few hours for the video to be reviewed before it appears in the group.