Just becuase an image is on the web doesn't make it available to anyone to use. If you are using photos for your website or blog you need to be aware of what photos you are using. There are many sites that offer low cost or no cost images. Sites like creative commons and bigfoto to name a few. Of course you can always take your own photos which is the best option! Everyone loves photos so don't shy away from photos, it just takes a little effort.

Take a moment to watch this short video about where to find no and low cost images. Enjoy!

As we create more and more profiles online, a social media card may be a good solution. Our personal information was once manageable. Today we are overwhelmed by our online information. Every day more profiles, more contacts, more content, creating new problems for consumers and businesses.

What’s a social media business card ? It is a mini website or a virtual card that will hold all your social network identities just like in a business card so you can hand it over, or share the link to anyone. Its a fairly simple concept, just provide some details,  like your social media identities, a quick bio and picture and these sites  auto generate the card for you. TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE...

You can perform a simple search of your local areas on Facebook to find who is talking about the areas where you work.

Let's perform a simple search of "Moving to West Chester." Type in the search box at the top of your Facebook page, then click "See results for moving to West Chester" in the box that pops up below your search.

What should you do with this information? I'll tell you first what not to do: don't invite yourself to be someone's newly found friend so they can buy a house with you. Also, don't comment on their wall with, "I can help you!" Instead, make a connection. If you'd like to invite to connect as friends, go for it, but don't forget to send a personal message with your invite. If you'd like to comment on someone's post, don't make your comment sound too much like sales; instead comment on how nice the area is or even add a simple "congratulations" to a post they've made.

I have been able to connect with more locals in my area this way. Of course the important thing is to build the relationship after that connection is made. So when real estate is on their mind, they remember you. 

Submitted by Kim Wood

Akismet is one of the best tools to cut down on spam comments in your Wordpress blog or website. Without it you will be inundated with silly comments, links selling stuff and just plain silliness! And once a spammer finds an unfiltered site you are really in for it.

The biggest complaint we hear from busy Real Estate Agents is that they don't have time to spend on social media and internet marketing. Kim Wood will discuss some of her best ideas to organize your time and how to use some simple technology tools to get it all done to stay in your clients "top of mind". Having an online presence is crucial to succeed into today's market. Isn't it about time you learn how to effectively manage it?

Managing it All- Tech Tools
Today! 1/10/12 at 1:00 PM EST
You can still register for free: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/807455138 
 

I am used to seeing these automated email responses. This time of year I get more then my fair share and I am glad that we as sales people can actually take time off during the holiday’s as everyone should.  But has anyone ever explained how to properly write an auto response? Just yesterday I saw one that said the person would return on 10/11/2009. Hmmm really, it must be quite a trip. And another that just said “On vacation will be back shortly”. If they are anything like the first person ‘shortly’ is quite a long time. Yet another explained that they needed this long deserved vacation and to contact their assistant NOT them. Too much information, not sure I would want this person as my Agent.

Writing a proper automated response is just as important as any other communication you send. You can come off sounding harsh, stressed, uncaring and more if not properly worded.  I would suggest that if you haven’t done so recently that you look to see what your out of office reply says. It should be pleasant, short and specific. When I say specific, I am not talking about the above where the person is obviously stressed and NEEDS a vacation. TMI!

A simple greeting, short sentence if applicable of where you might be and the date of your return. It is appropriate to include contact information for anyone that is assisting your clients while you are away.

And I would hope that before you leave, personally  call, text or email current clients to let them know BEFORE you leave that you will be away for a bit. Nothing like scaring away a Buyer because they think you abandon them in the middle of their home search. Or a seller gets nervous because they think you aren’t available to accept an offer that might come in while you are away.

 Explain how long you will be away and if you are unavailable, who would be assisting them. This simple step could be the difference between losing a deal and worse losing a client or a referral.

Automated responses are a useful tool to communicate with people when you aren’t readily available but can be harmful if not used properly. So next time you are writing your ‘out of office” email take a moment to really think about what you are writing. Oh and include a link to your listings or any other useful information to keep them engaged until you can return to them personally. 

If you're a book lover or a lover of Amazon.com, why not become an affiliate? You can earn 15  percent off any purchase when someone clicks through an affiliate link of yours.

This is a free feature. You can build widgets of all the products you talk about to recommend on your website.

Think about this ... our buyers and sellers read books about buying real estate. You could write a post on your blog or website about books you've read and link to your affiliate store from your post. And if someone makes a purchase, you can get paid!

Read more and sign up for the program through Amazon here.

Amazon has several widgets that are customizable for you. Try it today! And Happy reading (and making money!)

submitted by Kim Wood

Notepad is a great little tool that often gets under ultilized. The program is usually found in Programs>Accessories>Notepad, and it comes free on most computers. It can be used for many things. For example when your creative juices start pouring out for new blog posts, it's handy to type them out in a document instead of uploading directly to your blog platform. You can either save them for later or copy directing into your platform.

If you've tried to use Word for this, you probably noticed that your blog posts appear weird if you try to copy directly. Why? Word and other word processing programs, embeds code into the formatting when you transfer it over to your blog. This is also true for most website platforms.

Ideally, you want to use a program like Notepad. Either type directly into notepad or copy content into it (to strip the formatting) then paste into your blog or website.

It's also a great tool to save ideas as they come to you. Save it as you would any other program. My suggestion is to create a folder on your computer. When you have an idea or thought simply open, Notepad, type your thoughts and save to the folder, then you can access to them anytime!
 

Today's consumer is adept at researching homes online and now has moved on to researching the sales associates they want to work with. What will they find when they research you? In a recent article in the REBAC June 2011 newsletter, a mind-blowing list of sites was published where consumers are writing reviews about YOU! So, even if you are monitoring your online reputation with Google Alerts, this may not be enough.

Where are they talking about us?  There is a host of specialized agent review sites. Some of them include: Incredible Agents, Quality Service Certification,Rate My Agent, Real Estate Ratingz,  Zillow, Agentopolis and of course LinkedIn. According to Sara Bonert at Zillow, 30,000 agent reviews were calculated by the end of March 2011.

Also, don't forget the general review sites where not only real estate is reviewed. These sites include Angie's List, Google Places and Yelp.