My friend Melani Gordon from Gwave Consulting brought this to my attention, so I thought I would bring it to yours.
July 27th iBidcondo is set to deliver a deal of a lifetime in Dallas. Buy your auction seat today. Bid for a brand new 1,300 sq ft condo in downtown Dallas, TX.
iBidcondo is a new and exciting way to purchase high quality real estate using a unique (Patent Pending) online-auction system that has NO RESERVE or MINIMUM PRICE. iBidcondo covers the cost of the property by “selling a limited number of seats” to the Auction.
This means that the majority of the net proceeds will be donated to a registered Charity that the winning bidder nominates prior to the auction. • iBidCondo auctions are online live property auctions where properties are auctioned without reserve or minimum prices. • To bid at an iBidcondo Auction, Bidders must first purchase a "virtual seat" to the online Auction from the iBidcondo website. • The revenue from the sale of the Auction Seats subsidizes the price of the property.
At a recent auction of a property in Austin, a condo with a $690,000 value was sold for a bid of $86,840, and more than 1,200 people participated in the auction. Followhttp://www.Twitter.com/ibidcondo to learn how you can win an auction seat.
We’ve trained hundreds of real estate agents to make the blog an effective marketing tool. We run them through a dozen hours of personal training classes, aiming to keep them on track to success.
The following represent the most common issues that we help them recognize in or to keep them focused.
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1. Worrying About Design Before the Writing
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This is akin to planning a wedding before you have even met your husband/wife to be. Before you even ‘deserve’ a great looking home for your blogging, you need to have shown a solid commitment to The Writing.
Our process with our new clients is to get them to start thinking and acting like bloggers while their custom design is being developed. The process usually takes around 4 weeks, providing us with ample time to establish a strong commitment in the form of 10–12 well written articles.
Not to take away from a killer design, but the impression that you should want to make with your blog is that you are an Expert, delivering a Consistent Message. This will gain you an audience, to whom you have earned the right to show-off you fancy site.
2. Failing To Establish A Clear Focus for the Content
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If we stick with the idea that the common blogging goal which we all share is to gain and retain an audience, then we need to consider their experience.
Good headlines and great content will surely gain the audience, but keeping them there, and earning their subscription and return visit is the real trick. Categories, Related Posts, Tags, a Mission Statement and clear Calls To Action are your opportunity to make your message clear. But the first thing you need to do is carve out exactly what topics of content you plan to deliver on a consistent basis.
If your audience is confused as to what categories of content they are going to get from your blog, they aren’t going to bother subscribing. You put $1 down and pick up a newspaper without even looking inside because you know what you are getting (local news, world news, sports, business, entertainment, comics, etc). Your audience needs to react with a similar understanding. When they recognize a solid commitment to a clear group of topics that meet their interests, they will commit to you in the form of subscription.
3. Failing to Recognize and Write to Their Ideal Reader
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In order to gain the right audience, you need to define them. I know that most of you have worked with all ages, all incomes, all races, and have gone miles in all directions to help them… but who do you want to work with? Define him/her, and then write to him/her. Take a second, write down who they are and even name them if you have to.
When you can visualize the reader, it is much easier to explain things to them. What’s easier, explaining something to a friend or to a room full of strangers? When you ‘know’ your audience, it will be much easier to hatch and deliver your ideas.
To become a better writer you need to be an avid reader. We learn from example, and there is no shortage of fantastic writers in and out of the RE.net.
Read from the perspective of a writer.
I learn something every blog surfing session. I see new formatting ideas, new call-to-action approaches, new PlugIns, etc. But before all that, the new blogger can pick up so much from established bloggers. Blogging is not like other forms of writing, and reading others will help you recognize the rhythm and formatting that works best.
In addition to learning the writing style, new bloggers will notice the dedication shown by the successful. This is the most valuable lesson of them all.
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We have been having so much fun, and getting such great feedback that we have decided to add a second show a month to the Tomato Radio schedule. Now, instead of just one show on the 15th of each month, we will be hosting 2 shows, the additional date being the 1st of each month. The bi-monthly shows will air live at 3pm PST, and will also be available as a podcast shortly thereafter.
Todayy, July 1st, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Jeff Turner, president of Real Estate Shows.
Over the last few years, Jeff has positioned himself as one of the most visible personalities in the online real estate space (aka the RE.net). He has been a top point earner (~400K) for much of the existence of ActiveRain, he is stalked by nearly 7000 on Twitter, 2000 on Facebook, 360 on Flickr, 500+ on LinkedIn, shows up to speak at most of the REBarCamps, and Inman Connect events. The man is connected.
Our format will be to talk with Jeff for the first 30 minutes regarding:
Real Estate Shows News Mastering Social Media Real Estate and Social Media Must-Have Web Tools iPhone and Real Estate
And the second half of the show will be Jeff answering your questions!
Listen in from 3 to 4pm PST to get a Behind the Scenes Look at the Real Estate Industry’s Largest Social Network, ActiveRain (About to eclipse 150K members).
Our guest, Jeff Corbett, is an old friend of the Real Estate Tomato, but more importantly, he is the VP of Operations and Business Development for ActiveRain.
He’s Bald, Bold and Brazen. and we’re hoping he’ll open up and give us the mud (dirt in the rain).
We will be talking with Jeff about:
His Role At AR New AR Developments AR’s Big Challenges and Possible Solutions His thoughts on a Yogi Berraism: “Nobody goes there no more; it's too crowded!" And more…
At 3:30 We will be taking your questions. Don’t hold back, we know you have a lot on your mind.
We recently had a Tomato Radio episode on the same subject, and this article is the collective opinion and insight from the contributors on our internal Matrix Blog.
My question to our audience was What is the Impact of Video in your Real Estate Blogging?
Below is my best effort at stitching together their comments in a comprehensive manner.
Pros:
The Audience Better Identifies With Author.
Rob Saxe: Who I am comes through more on video than when I write an article. From experience, that video blogging as a marketing tool is indispensable and an absolute necessity for my business.
Bruce Lemieux: A blog with compelling and informative written content can be a huge net to gather leads and build an audience. To pull leads into the boat and convert them to clients, you need to build trust by making a personal connection. Video can be just the lure to get them hooked. The trend is clear: people will continue to buy houses from people, not computers.
Cyndee Haydon leveraged Albert Mehrabian's Rule of 7%-38%-55% to reinforce the idea of how effective video with conviction can be for Real Estate. According to Mehrabian, there are 3 Main Elements of Communication, with ranging influence to your audience:
* Words, (7%)
* Tone of voice and (38%)
* Body language. (55%)
"I love the thought that the non-verbal cues are important to conveying our "belief and conviction" so videos give the viewer the ability to connect to us as people (100%) versus just words on a page (7%). "
Gena Riede: We are in the age of transparency and videos certainly do contribute to that aspect. The consumer is looking for REAL.
Bruce Lemieux: I think Gena's got it exactly right - your written blog is the foundation, video adds the transparency and enhances a blog. It doesn't replace the written blog.
Video Is Not a Fad
It was just announced that YouTube users are adding a staggering 20 hours of video every minute. Video viewing and capture on cell phones has greatly improved. Embedding video in your blog articles and pages is a snap.
HD video capture is available in your hand for as little as $229.
Search Engine Results
Well described videos published to Google Video and/or YouTube do very well in the SERPs for obvious reasons. Viddler is also starting to show some promise with their members' videos placing well. Its a well known fact that Google is working on developing powerful Voice Recognition Software to add to their search algorithm making it possible to spider audio and video clips.
Convenience For Your Audience
Watching and listening is easier than reading. Just ask your kids if their homework is done while they are sitting in front of the boob. Soon, most will experience the Internet from the couch (10 feet from the screen) or by handheld device. Reading is not convenient in either instance.
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For most, the most challenging element of blogging is clearly finding time and the act of pounding out an article. Even our clients, whom we train, and train and train some more on the best approaches to blogging find that keeping a consistent blogging pace is difficult to maintain.
So who better to get some advice on consistency than one of the only everyday-bloggers that I know, our great friend, Teresa Boardman of StPaulRealEstateBlog.com?
Writing About Writing
By Teresa Boardman
I never thought I would be writing about writing but I am. I consider myself to be a non writer but have found that with practice it gets easier. Writing a blog is like writing an email. There was a time in business before email when we used to send memos but that writing style is much more formal.
The process was intimidating as my administrative assistant and my boss would question my choice of words and sometimes my tone. When email replaced the memo even business writing became less formal and more about communication.
Blog posts can be informal like sharing an idea with a friend. Blogs work because people like doing business with friends. The tone is less formal and the goal is to make the post informative but at the same time easy and enjoyable to read. As I write I sometimes get a mental picture of who will be reading it and I write to that person or group of people.
It takes discipline to write every day and to know what to write about. Sometimes sitting down and writing a blog post seems like work. A couple of years a go Jim published a post I wrote with 101 ideas for real estate blog posts. It wouldn’t be hard to come up with a 101 more ideas. The ideas come from the ordinary experiences that I have on the job and in life. Some of the experiences are unique and others are very common experiences that people can relate to.
The hard part is actually doing it each day. Most people run out of steam by the end of their first month writing a blog.
I am going to share some tricks that have worked for me.
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Success in Real Estate is largely due to who you know.
The more Whos, the more opportunity you create for yourself.
Creating a database of regular contacts has always been a sound strategy for real estate marketing. Mailing Lists Rolodex Walking Farm Past Clients Friends/Family Business Contacts Email Database Blog Feed Subscribers Facebook Friends Twitter Followers... and now the Hashtag: #
Why follow Hashtags instead of just keywords on Twitter?
Hashtag 101: When Twittering, by adding the # in front of a term (like this: #conan) it automatically groups your post with any other post that included the same #term. This term ‘group’ can be found by using http://search.twitter.com and searching for the #term.
The use of a Hashtag signifies that you are intending to group your updates to that specific term.
For Example: You may Twitter a phrase like “on fire in Santa Barbara” that could have many contextual meanings, whereas using the Hashtag #sbfire makes it clear as to what conversation you are contributing.
Although a search for “Santa Barbara Fire” may yield more results, and therefore arguably be a better way to find out information about the fire, it is the intention of those using the Hashtag that I am interested in leveraging. Users of the Hashtag are looking to be grouped together on purpose: they want to hold a conversation as a group.
Want to follow the absolute latest group chatter on the Manny Ramirez bust? #manny Updates on the aporkalypse? #swineflu
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This month's Tomato Radio Show is Dedicated to Discussing Online Video in Real Estate: Video Blogging, Live Testimonials, Property Highlights, Community Reviews, and More!
In an article from Nov, 2007, I described the future of the real estate blog as something that will demand regular video updates in order to satisfy the audience that will no longer be hunched over their laptop.
On tomorrow’s television (an all-in-one entertainment console), the internet and blogs will need to cater to those sitting 10 ft from the screen, making text that much moredisengaging.
Although we haven’t quite made it to ‘tomorrow’, there are a growing number of real estate agents leveraging video to gain exposure and earn a reputation of expertise. Their efforts today have not only prepared them for tomorrow, but more importantly, won them success today.
From 3 to 3:30 we will be talking with Ian Watt of IanWatt.ca. Ian is best known for his mobile video blogging, where he mixes driving, personality and sound real estate advice.
We will be talking with Ian about: His approach to video blogging The success that it has helped him achieve. His advice to those looking to get started.
From 3:30 to 4pm we will be talking with Tara Jones of ReelProductions.tv. Tara, a Realtor and Emmy Award winning journalist specializes in high quality video production for the real estate industry.
We will be talking with Tara about: How video can help your business How brokerages are depending on video for success. How to get started, now that you know it's not a fad.
Just as with every Tomato Radio show, we will be live starting at 3pm PST on the 15th of the month.
Don't Get Caught On Your Knees Sifting For Gold When You Could Be On Stage, Making A Lasting Impression.
I am so proud of the real estate industry. You've come so far!
In the latter half of the 90's decade, as the Internet promised to be a modern gold rush, curiously, Realtors showed little interest. It wasn't until just recently that the Realtor's personal website was accepted as an obligatory expense. The irony is that now it has little chance of being effective.
But today, I actually have faith in the real estate agent's embrace of the Internet as an effective marketing tool.
As much as the $500 brochure website of yesteryear catered to the ego of the Glamour Shots® agent, it failed to jibe with their gregarious nature. Affable and outgoing agents couldn't recognize any immediate relevance to their obvious business model; network, network, network.
Yet now, with the rise of Social Media, Realtors are feeling much more at home online, recognizing the opportunity to leverage the Internet as a viable networking tool.
Where it once seemed that Realtors needed to be dragged into the 21st century, they are now marching forward in droves. A rush, if you will.
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Twitter is all the rage… and yet most blogging agents aren’t using it becausethey don’t grasp the value.
Here’s another way to approach the Micro-Blog: Instead of catering to the audience in a Twitter Community, consider those that are actually coming to read your blog. Short updates from you about the market, your efforts as an agent, new listings, and news flashes are just the sort of thing that your readers will appreciate. Now pop them on your blog, and syndicate that back up to Twitter instead of the other way around. (More on this in coming weeks)
Hot tip: When it comes to your blog, avoid the community babble that gave you the creeps when you first looked at Twitter: “Having a hard time deciding what cereal to get.” Your audience came for tangible real estate topics, not the stream of consciousness that you feel the need to share. Try: “Cleaning out the gutters for the today’s 2pm open house at 123 Elm St, Eastville.”
2. Video Blogging
With high quality and too-easy-to-use video cameras available for under $150, you’d be a fool to not start including local video clips on your blog. Whether you post yourself vlogging, or replace the photo-op with a quick clip, your audience will appreciate it.
Hot tip: Try to keep videos under 2 minutes. That digestible expectation will have them watching every video you publish.
3. Extending Your Soapbox to Other Community Experts
Hot tip: Once you know you have a local audience that cares about your efforts, it won’t be difficult to get others to provide valuable content. Trying to put the cart before the horse will be a hard sell.
Hot tip: Next week, I will be publishing a comprehensive overview on how to leverage Google Maps on your real estate blog. It will include several exciting map examples like Lori’s above. I feel that the proper use of Google Maps will be what makes your site an invaluable resource unlike any other in your community.
5. Including Unique Calls To Action
What separates a real estate blog that generates appointments from one that doesn’t? More often then not, it is Call-To-Action. As bloggers you are writers/reporters, but most importantly, you are real estate agents that need to have appointments with clients. Writing alone will not always be enough to get someone to act in a manner that leads them to working with you. Place visiblecalls to action in your navigation, in your sidebars, in your footer, in your articles, in your videos and in your email blasts.
Hot tip: Spend some money to have someone design something nice for the calls-to-action on your site. These graphics can be what get people to ‘act’ so it is worth a small investment. Mix in a theme to the graphics that you use for your calls-to-action. Cool looking icons, or a mascot will stand out, and yet not be seen as ‘pushy’.
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Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
July 27th iBidcondo is set to deliver a deal of a lifetime in Dallas. Buy your auction seat today. Bid for a brand new 1,300 sq ft condo in downtown Dallas, TX.
We’ve trained hundreds of real estate agents to make the blog an effective marketing tool. We run them through a dozen hours of personal training classes, aiming to keep them on track to success. 
To become a better writer you need to be an avid reader. We learn from example, and there is no shortage of fantastic writers in and out of the RE.net. 
We have been having so much fun, and getting such great feedback that we have decided to add a second show a month to the 
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