The Real Estate Tomato

OMG! Have you seen this list of Speakers for the upcoming Virtual BarCamp? (officially a MUST ATTEND EVENT)

2009-12-16T11:47:34Z

Meet the speakers that will present at the FREE Virtual Real Estate BarCamp on January 4th.

The below are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

This actual list will be updated (on the website) to represent a chronological order based on session times as we near the live event.

Name: Susan Adler
Company: Realtor/Partner, Keller Williams of Essex, Union & Morris Counties
Website: SueAdler.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Sue has been the #1 Keller Williams agent in NJ for the past five years, and leads one of the top KW teams in the country, with annual production averaging $50 million in sales in recent years. In 2009, 80% of her team’s business was “repeat”, “referral” or “reputation”.

Name: Brad Andersohn
Company: ActiveRain
Website: ActiveRain.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Community Manager for ActiveRain. Brad has over 25 years experience in the Real Estate Industry, and has helped thousands of Industry professionals find solutions to their daily tasks and challenges through the uses of technology and his resources. Founder of Agent Assist, RE411, and RETechWorld. Brad is a coach, consultant, and trainer on using Social Media and technology to grow Business and Community.

Name: Teresa Boardman
Company: Saint Paul Home Realty
Website: SaintPaulRealEstateBlog.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Teresa Boardman is a Realtor, and licensed Minnesota real estate broker with Saint Paul Home Realty. She is also a blogger, writer, photographer and speaker. Although she claims to be anti-social, it is clear that her online social reach is most impressive.

Name: Joel Burslem
Company: 1000 Watt Consulting
Website: 1000WattConsulting.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Joel is a seasoned new media strategist and communications professional and joins 1000watt with over 10 years of experience in consumer marketing, public relations and Internet marketing. He is founder of the Future of Real Estate Marketing, one of the oldest and most widely read real estate blogs (Compete). Named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate bloggers in 2007 and 2008, Joel regularly speaks about technology and real estate marketing to audiences across the nation and he is frequently called upon to comment on these subjects by mainstream media like New York Times, BusinessWeek, International Herald Tribune and the Wall Street Journal.

Name: Brad Carroll
Company: Dakno Marketing
Website: Dakno.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: As the owner of Dakno Marketing and Internet and Technology Coach for CKG International, Brad couples his expertise in online marketing technology with a keen understanding of real estate. A Consultant,Speaker, Innovator, and Business Leader, he currently heads an experienced team of marketers and developers while serving as a personal Web & Marketing Consultant to many of the top speakers, coaches and REALTORS in the industry.

Name: Sherry Chris
Company: Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
Website: BHGRealEstateBlog.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Sherry Chris was appointed President and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC in October 2007. Well known within the real estate industry, Sherry is a frequent speaker at real estate and technology conferences. She has served, and continues to serve, on a number of industry- and technology-related advisory boards, including Trulia and Google Real Estate, and she is a past chairman of The Realty Alliance.

Name: Amy Chorew
Company: The Tech Byte
Website: TheTechByte.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Amy Chorew is a national speaker highly experienced in helping business owners maximize the opportunities that technology offers them. In 2009, Amy became a member of the SMMInstitute to help her client gain the knowledge and tools to move from traditional marketing to Web 2.0 marketing. Amy has created a webinar and coaching series that companies are using to help them thrive in this market.

Name: Jim Cronin
Company: Real Estate Tomato
Website: RealEstateTomato.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: President and founder of Real Estate Tomato, Jim Cronin has helped thousands of Realtors develop a superior internet presence. His focus is on personal training, the embrace of social media, and the development of beautiful and powerful blogsites.

Name: Rob Hahn
Company: 7DS Associates
Website: 7DSAssociates.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Robert Hahn is the Managing Partner of 7DS Associates, a marketing, technology and strategy consultancy focusing on the real estate industry. A veteran of the online world since the pre-Netscape Internet, Robert got into the real estate industry at Realogy, overseeing the interactive marketing and technology for the commercial brand. At 7DS, his focus is on helping clients take an integrated, evidence-driven approach to real estate, combining strategy, marketing, operations, and technology. A frequent speaker at industry events, Robert writes on transformation in the real estate industry, and blogs at 7DS Associates as well as his personal blog, The Notorious R.O.B. You can find him on Twitter: @robhahn.

Name: Ross Hair
Company: eRealEstate.com
Website: eRealEstate.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Ross Hair is the Real Estate Advocate and President of eRealEstate.com, a social network for real estate investors and professionals.

Name: Stacey Harmon
Company: Harmon Enterprises
Website: HarmonEnterprises.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: I show real estate people how to make the web and technology work for them.

Name: Brad Inman
Company: Inman News
Website: Inman.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Bradley J. Inman is an entrepreneur, journalist and technology expert. TurnHere is the most recent company to be founded by Mr. Inman, famous for highly-successful Internet content businesses including Inman News and Homegain.com which he sold in 2005 to Classified Ventures

Name: Matt Johnson
Company: ListingMoves.com
Website: ListingMoves.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Matt Johnson is the founder and CEO of ListingMoves.com. He is an entrepreneur at heart with a background in sales, financing and real estate investment. He found his true passion in technology about two years ago. Since he was a real estate agent himself, he understands how difficult it is to be successful in the business. He has been working hard towards an online and streamlined real estate solution.

Name: Tara Jones
Company: Reel Productions TV
Website: ReelProductions.tv
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Jones is an Emmy™ award winning journalist that has been in the broadcast television industry for 17 years. More than a decade has been reporting and anchoring across the country for ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates including the #1 television station in the country. Tara is also a licensed real estate agent and has now married her two careers into one with Reel Productions TV. As the co-owner and spokesperson for Reel Productions TV, Tara is able to showcase dozens of homes, communities and businesses throughout the country providing an innovative tool that gives unlimited exposure to agent’s listings, builder’s developments and business owner’s dreams.

Name: Pat Kitano
Company: Domus Consulting Group
Website: MediaTransparent.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Pat Kitano is Founder of Domus Media, a division of Domus Consulting Group, a management consulting firm working with media/publishing, real estate, retail and consumer product companies, and Web 2.0 companies to upgrade their 1.0 brochureware-like websites into social media systems.

Name: Mark Madsen
Company: Raintree Mortgage Services
Website: MyFHAMortgageBlog.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Social Media and Communications Director for Raintree Mortgage Services in Las Vegas, NV.

Name: Mike Mueller
Company: Are We Connected
Website: AreWeConnected.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Mike is a former Mortgage Banker, Mortgage Broker turned “Tech Geek” who specializes in Social Media Consulting. He is a builder of engaging Custom Facebook Business Pages, blogs and social media engagement plans for his clients. Mike writes AreWeConnected.com, a blog dealing with social media and technology as it pertains towards real estate. He publishes articles in the San Francisco Examiner and the BusinessWeek Exchange. AreWeConnected is listed in Alltop and ranked by AdAge. He has been interviewed and quoted in articles for BankRate, Scripps, the San Jose Mercury News and others, (including the front page of The Wall Street Journal for writing mortgage related Haikus).

Name: Nicole Nicolay
Company: MyTechOpinion
Website: MyTechOpinion.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Nicole is extremely passionate about learning and sharing…and it shows her in writing! As a founder, author and editor at MyTechOpinion.com, she focuses on providing her readers with a comprehensive technology base for the real estate industry. She recognizes the importance of both on and offline marketing strategies for real estate professionals and offers knowledgeable how-to solutions for implementation. In addition, Nicole authored “Twitter for Real Estate Twits”, the only Twitter how-to guide created specifically for teaching real estate professionals how to use Twitter. She is also the originator the “Tweet Plan” which outlines how to maximize your Twitter efforts by becoming your network’s trusted advisor. Nicole was named one of the 25 Most Influential Bloggers in Real Estate for 2008 by Inman News and one of the Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers by Sellsius.

Name: Darin Persinger
Company: Productivity Junkies
Website: ProductivityJunkies.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Darin Persinger is an 11 year veteran in the Real Estate industry with sales, management, leadership and training experience. He was a certified trainer for Keller Williams. He successfully coaches agents one on one. He provides agents with the vital learning tools to be successful in the Real Estate industry both through his writing and in group training classes. Earlier, he was the CEO/Team Leader/Business coach for Keller Williams Madison East. Before that, he was a Regional Manager for Century 21 Affiliated. He has recruited new and experienced agents, trained and coached agents to great levels of success. Before any of that, he tried to make a living as a sponsored wakeboarder.

Name: Jonathan Rivera
Company: Real-TechGuy
Website: Real-TechGuy.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: The purpose of Real-TechGuy.com is to help my fellow real estate agents understand how they can leverage current technology to make their lives easier.

Name: Steve Rosenbaum
Company: Social Media Dos and Don’ts
Website: SteveRosenbaum.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Steve Rosenbaum helps companies large and small integrate a profitable sales, marketing and social media networking strategy. Current clients include restaurants, builders, authors, financial companies, stocks and options, manufacturers, realtors, attorneys, webmasters, advertising agencies, radio stations, television stations and consumer products companies..

Name: Bernice Ross
Company: Real Estate Coach
Website: RealEstateCoach.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Nationally syndicated columnist, author, trainer, and speaker, Bernice Ross couples her expertise as a Master Certified Coach with 30 years of real estate sales experience. From 1993 to 1997, she served as Executive Director of Training for the 4,000 agent Prudential Jon Douglas Company. With over 400 published articles to her credit, Inman News called Bernice “America’s top real estate coach.” She is the author of “Waging War on Real Estate’s Discounters” plus her latest new book, “Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success.” Bernice is also the creator of an exciting new real estate negotiation game called “Real Estate Dough Negotiation.” Visit Bernice’s Luxury Real Estate Blog at LuxuryClues.com.

Name: Glenn Sanford
Company: eXp Realty
Website: eXpRealty.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Entreprenuer / Marketer / Judo Coach / Owner: eXp Realty & Working The Magic LLC and of course an all round Great Guy.

Name: Mike Simonsen
Company: Altos Research
Website: AltosResearch.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Michael Simonsen is co-founder and CEO of Altos Research Corp., the premier source of real-time real estate market intelligence for thousands of local markets around the country. The company helps real estate agents and brokers easily reach their clients through innovative local real estate market analytics, reporting, and web tools.

Name: Jay Thomspon
Company: Thompson’s Realty
Website: PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Jay is a real estate broker, father, husband and all-around nice guy. He likes to volunteer for what some people consider crazy things–like serving on his Home Owners Association board of directors, or getting on the Town of Gilbert’s Human Relations Commission. Jay even served as a substitute teacher at his kids K-8 school. The kids at the school frequently said he was “the coolest sub ever”. His autograph is highly sought after by students under 9 years old.

Name: Kendra Todd
Company: Kendra Todd Group
Website: KendraTodd.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Apprentice Winner & Host of HGTV’s “My House Is Worth What?

Name: Jeff Turner
Company: Zeek Interactive
Website: Zeek.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: Jeff currently serves as President of Zeek Interactive, and is the creative force behind Real Estate Shows. He is also widely-regarded as a thought leader in the area of social media marketing strategy and execution, and a sought after speaker.

Name: Zillow (To Be Determined)
Company: Zillow
Website: Zillow.com
Session: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Bio: To Be Determined.

40 Clear Reasons Why You Need to Register for Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

2009-12-14T16:41:48Z

A big change that we have made for this Virtual Real Estate BarCamp is to give the registrants the power to choose what topics they want to sit in on during 9–hour the event.

For the January 4^th event, we have 28 spots to fill for your entertainment and education.

This conference is about you, and how we can cater to your needs. Our speakers will be chosen based on the feedback of our registered attendees Click Here To Register Now – It’s Free!

Our aim is to give you what you really want.
The below list represents 40 potential topics (based on feedback from our previous event).
In addition to these potential topics, we will be taking and posting your suggestions, looking to get the feedback of the community, before me make the final selection of topics and speakers.

Potential Topics for Virtual Real Estate BarCamp Presentations.

Beginner Search Engine Optimization
Intermediate Search Engine Optimization
Advanced Search Engine Optimization
Blogging and Search Engines
Nothing about Search Engines
What is WordPress, and Why Should I Care?
Getting Started with a self hosted WordPress website
Popular and Effective WordPress PlugIns
Must-Have WordPress Widegets
Advanced WordPress Techniques
Nothing about WordPress
Essential Training on Flickr for Real Estate
Photography Techniques/Tips for Real Estate
Digital Photography Basics
Photoshop for Real Estate
Using YouTube for Real Estate
LinkedIn Business & Referral Strategies
Selecting an IDX Company
Single Property Websites
Electronic Flyers and Online Classified Services
Getting the Most Out Of Your Mobile Devices
The iPhone and Real Estate
Podcasting for Beginners
Getting Started with Video Blogging
Advanced Video Blogging (editing, marketing)
Video Listings
Essential Twitter Training
Advanced Twitter Tips.
Nothing Twitter.
Preparing to Start a Real Estate Blog
Web Traffic Statistics and Google Analytics
Facebook for Dummies
Doing Business on Facebook as a Real Estate Agent
Advanced Facebook: Applications and Customizations
Getting Started with Blogging (what to do, what to write, how often, goals, expectations)
Blog Writing Techniques (Headlines, Formatting, Images, Videos, SEO, Readability, Call-To-Action).
Why Blogging Works: How To Generate Leads Through Blogging.
Developing a Strong Personal Brand Offline and Online.
HTML That Everyone Should Know.
Using Posterous Blogs As a Real Estate Agent.

The sooner you register for this free event, the sooner your can ensure that the topics you want to sit in on are part of the event. We will be making the final selections in the next couple weeks. As they are chosen, they will be posted on the website.

Introducing the 2nd Edition of Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

2009-12-11T12:22:08Z

We're Back!
Introducing the 2nd Edition of Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

Our first event was such a success, we decided to parlay the momentum into the launch of another.

January 4th - 9am until 4pm PST
9 Hours, 28 Incredible Speakers, 1000s of Attendees!

It's Free!

What Is Virtual BarCamp?
How Do I Register?
Who Is Speaking (To be determined)
How Can I Sponsor?

In an effort to always improve, we have made some changes to the event format:

There will be 4 Webinar Rooms (previously there were just 3 rooms).
Presentations will be 45 minutes in length (previously they were 30 mins).
Total number of Speakers: 28 (we had 27 last event).
Each Webinar Room will have its own accompanying Live Chat Room (previously there was just one).
Session Topics will be chosen by our Registered Attendees (last time it was first come first serve).
Session Presenters will be selected by us (last time it was first come first serve).
Sessions will be recorded (we were unable to record last time).

We have boosted our goals for the event as well:

Registered Attendees: 3000 (previous: 1000, actual 1928)
In-Office Events: 100 (previous: 40, actual: 71)
In-Real-Life MeetUps: 50 (previous: 20, actual: n/a)
Number of Sponsors: 15 (previous: 10, actual: 13)

We have a new website: www.VirtualBarCamp.com

Just because we hold virtual, online events doesn’t mean that we can’t create an incredibly social community. One of the best aspects of the BarCamp atmosphere is the ability to connect, network, meet and mingle. We took this into great consideration as we planned out the architecture and user experience of our new website.

The tighter the community, the greater opportunity we all have to learn, network and teach. Get involved by involving others!

If you have any other suggestions on how we can improve on our first effort, please let us know!

Real Estate Brokerage Websites - I Don’t Think We Are In Kansas Anymore

2009-12-09T11:26:45Z

Real Estate Brokerage Websites - I Don’t Think We Are In Kansas Anymore

Beth Butler, former Broker for EWM Realtors in Miami, FL wants to get into the head of real estate brokers around the country. She wants to share her expertise in managing an incredibly successful real estate company blogsite with those that need to see the light. The playing field has changed, and many need a coach. Beth is that Coach.

Real Estate Brokerage Websites - I Don’t Think We Are In Kansas Anymore

By Beth Butler

Just like in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy tiptoes out of her house to find she is in an altogether different place than she left, so it is with the real estate brokerage business post market meltdown. As brokers gently lift their collective heads from dealing with the drudgery of the down market, the view out the window is not the same as it was. The business is forever changed.

Budget cutbacks wielded the proverbial axe on most print advertising, which left most brokers with a tad more money in the bank but a noticeable absence in their marketing plan. Most brokers are looking for their websites to be their yellow brick road to the Land of Oz and real estate recovery.

A closer inspection of brokerage websites will leave you stranded in Munchkinland. This post is the first in a series designed to get your Brokerage website to be the cornerstone of the company’s marketing plan and the business generator that it should be. It is time for Brokers to take back the technological aspects of the business back and win once and for all the Internet battle with regard to real estate.

If you wonder how your site stacks up – start by taking the simple test on websitegrader.com. If you score above 75% you can consider your site one of the better in the business. If you score above 90% - you need to post some comments and share some of the non-proprietary secrets of your success. Sadly, most sites I checks scored well below the 50th percentile – and you certainly have some work to do.

In the framework of rethinking your website, I think it is high time to put content on an equal playing field with design and search. It appears that many of the Web 2.0 updates to most brokerage websites include an oversized search box and a cleaner more organized homepage. This is all good and correct, howeverwhen you overlook content, the site fails.

A wise person once told me that people are interested in listing search only when they are looking to buy or sell a property, but they are interested in real estate all of the time. If you look at your website like a prospecting tool, you might begin to understand how important content is in your next website. It is time to stop talking about driving traffic and to begin to emphasize the importance of attracting customers, and learn to do it.

A blog on your website will provide all of the content you might need while creating that real estate news feature that will draw an audience of potential customers that might not be ready to buy or sell right at this moment. Additionally, the blog provides your company a platform to promote themselves, the community and the company.

A multi-user blogging platform allows the website to become a content generator on an exponential level, even with a relatively small percentage of your company participating.

I know this is posting on their site, but when I say that it is time to step up and make your website everything it should be, I’m serious. The Real Estate Tomatohas the solution that will get you to where you need to be from inception to implementation with training and consultation.

Next post: Bringing your Marketing Department into the 20th Century.

To connect with Beth Butler:
Beth is the Owner of Big Mouth Consulting
Facebook Profile
LinkedIn Profile
Twitter Profile

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to be notified of the next one?

ShareThis

New To Real Estate Blogging? 6 Simple Steps to Get You Started.

2009-12-04T14:07:32Z

New To Real Estate Blogging? 6 Simple Steps to Get You Started.

For the entire month of December I will be writing articles as contributions to what I call the Rewrite Project. Instead of writing on new topics, I am going to be digging through the advice archives and rewriting the "oldies but goodies". Why? Why not? But it is also an exercise to show you that you can never step in the same river twice, and finding relevant blog content to publish is as easy as looking in the rear-view mirror.

The next article in my series of rewrites is the dismantling and recreation of “New To Business Blogs? The 6 Steps To Getting Started”.

The irony of that article is that I had been blogging for less than 3 months, and here I was the expert. For some time now, I have been wanting to add emphasis to the points in this post, so here goes.

The logic of this post was to consider what your readers are thinking when they come to your site. If you can see things from their side of the keyboard, then you can more effectively connect with them. Connecting with your reader, that’s what it’s all about.

New To Reading Real Estate Blogs? 6 Steps Get You Started.

You are beginning your real estate search online, and have just come across a real estate blog that catches your attention. You thought you were online just looking for listings, and now you have found an agent that has written hundreds of articles, aimed specifically to educate you on the entire homebuying experience.

How can you get the most out of what seems like more content than you could ever read?

1. Determine The Mission of the Blog

In most cases, you arrived at an article on the blog, rather than to the homepage. Given the article helped answer your online inquiry, it’s time to dig deeper and determine what value this website has for you.

Does the Mission Statement make you feel as though you are one of their intended audience? In order for it to attract you as a regular reader, it needs to have been fashioned with you in mind.

If there is no published mission statement, scan through 5 to 7 of the most recent articles, from the homepage, and ask yourself, “Is this content relevant to my real estate needs?”

2. Focus On The Continuous Core Message In The Blog

Although you may have missed a ton of interesting content in past articles, a blog with a solid focus will continue to deliver their core message. When exploring the archives of a blog, look for that core message to bring you up to speed.

Business blogs, like the Real Estate Tomato are written in a circular manner. We develop our content with an ideal reader in mind, around a specific range of topics.

News, reporting and personal blogs are generally written in a linear fashion where the content is governed by the events and items they aim to cover. Take BoingBoing.net for example. The only consistency with this blog is the randomness of its subject matter.

3. Blogs Are Not Books, They Are Editorials.

Following a blog is about the daily, relevant message, not the chronological organization. Although the articles may be chronologically relevant, it is not the inspiration. As the authors are inspired to write by the events happening around them, they will publish to the blog.

As a reader of both circular and linear blogs, the idea is not to try and catch up, but rather to enjoy the ride. Commonly the writer will come back to past topics as they become relevant again, even linking to past articles for support and reference.

4. Categories Are The Pillars Of A Well Organized Blog.

(Because this is a rewrite, I can now leverage this point with an article that I wrote subsequent to the original.)

As a new reader to a blog, you can quickly determine the worthiness of subscribing to it by the categories in which the content is divided. This is no different from how one would choose to subscribe to a magazine based on its consistent subject matter.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you most likely entered the blog through an article, an archived article (meaning it is no longer on the homepage of the site). If the blog is well organized, by clear categories that define the range of regular content on the site, it is easy to follow everything the author has covered on a subject by clicking the appropriate links. There should be no need to visit the homepage of a blog to navigate your way through the content and the tools that are geared to support your real estate search.

5. Sign Up For RSS Feeds And/Or Email Feeds Of The Daily Articles.

What the heck is an RSS Feed? Click here.

Not having to remember to visit blogs that you are interested in, to see if they have published content to the site is the main value of subscribing to a blog’s feed.

You should know by now, that in order to get what you want out of a website/service, you need to sign up for something.
RSS feeds deliver the headlines to your favorite news reader.
Email feeds will send the headlines of current articles to your inbox.

6. Get Involved. Participate. Be Heard.

Blogs are meant to be a two-way street.

The agent has put their thoughts, opinions, observations, wisdom, and expertise online to engage you. They want to have a relationship with you. Their blog articles are the answers to your questions. So don’t hold back. Ask away, offer your two cents, agree, disagree, compliment, question… be heard. It will help you get the answers you are looking for as much as it will help inspire the author to continue to publish, knowing that they are being ‘heard’.

Here is a recent comment left by Sacramento Real Estate Broker Bill Joyce, expressing exactly what you want to have your visitors experience when they read your blog. (Just change blogging to home buying)

I am a real estate broker in Sacramento, California and just beginning to discover the value and challenges of blogging. Just reading your blog I find I have to stop before long. Too much good info (if there can be such a thing) and I'm at capacity. Why seek more...I should act on the seven ideas I just picked up. I value your expertise and contribution to the topic of real estate blogging…I return time and again. And, by example, that’s who I would like to become for local home buyers.

For more insight on commenting: The Secret To Successful Comments:

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to be notified of the next one?

Exactly How The Long Tail In Real Estate Blogging Will Bring The Ready-To-Act Home Buyer.

2009-12-03T11:37:57Z

Exactly How The Long Tail In Real Estate Blogging Will Bring The Ready-To-Act Home Buyer.

For the entire month of December I will be writing articles as contributions to what I call the Rewrite Project. Instead of writing on new topics, I am going to be digging through the advice archives and rewriting the "oldies but goodies". Why? Why not? But it is also an exercise to show you that you can never step in the same river twice, and finding relevant blog content to publish is as easy as looking in the rear-view mirror.

One of the first advice articles I wrote on the power of blogging was called “If You Write It They Will Come!" - The Long Tail In Real Estate.

Starting with the title… it’s not bad, but it could have been better. For the rewrite I’m going with:

Exactly How The Long Tail In Real Estate Blogging Will Bring The Ready-To-Act Home Buyer.

Now that we have all made purchases online, from inexhaustible sources of selection, the concept of the long tail surely must be easy to grasp.

In a one sentence example: iTunes success comes not from the total sales of a #1 Billboard hit, but rather from the cumulative sales of millions of less popular tracks.

This same formula can be applied to gaining desired traffic to your blog, from the search engines. Instead of relying on high traffic counts from high-demand search terms, such as “San Diego real estate”, real estate bloggers should recognize that their success can come from seemingly unpopular terms and phrases.

First of all, real estate is a broad topic, and those that approach it broadly are generally not ready-to-act.
Visitors to your site that come in from high-demand terms like “San Diego real estate” are in the discovery phase of their real estate search. This is not to say that they won’t pan out to be a quality relationship one day, but this article is about how to attract the ready-to-act home buyer.

The expectations we have as we approach the internet for answers, is that there is going to be one. So when we are concerned about something, we are generally specific about our search. For example, when traveling to Costa Rica (for example) you don’t search for Costa Rica Hotels. You take into account your actual destination, accommodation preference, and price range, then you search from there.

The city of San Diego (staying with the above example) is broken up into dozens of smaller communities, and those communities are easily broken into several neighborhoods. Online real estate inquiries about these narrowed neighborhoods are generally made by buyers that are further along in their decision process.

Blogging about topics that serve inquiries on a micro level will not gain the massive traffic you might experience for high-demand search terms, individually. However, the cumulative traffic gained from dozens of these sorts of micro-topic articles will easily outweigh the gains from high-demand search terms. And, more importantly, this traffic will target and attract more read-to-act buyers. Hence the value of the Long Tail.

I found this refreshing point from the original article:

The value of attracting niche and unique traffic to your site with ever-growing content is greater than just the visit. By being a relevant result for such uncommon searches makes your site that much more appreciated. This is an immediate trust builder and will improve the quality of your leads. Generating hundreds of these niche visits to your site is so much more effective than being one of thousands vying for exposure with the most popular search terms.

The point that one should really take away from this observation is that real estate is a business of content. You gain clients through your ability to communicate with them, to them and for them. Once you apply this to your approach to blogging, you will see your efforts gaining you clients similarly. Generalities don’t gain trust (“I am a San Diego Realtor”) – handling specific situations do (“This is the answer to your question, challenge, concern, worry, etc”).

Your job as a real estate blogger is to determine what keeps your home sellers and home buyers up at night and blog about that.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to be notified of the next one?

The First Virtual Real Estate BarCamp: A Huge Success!

2009-11-20T15:47:16Z

Thank You!

Thank you for all your wonderful comments, kudos, suggestions, concerns, promotion, enthusiasm, and most of all, your participation.

We're chalking this event up as a huge success, thanks to all of you. We couldn't have done it without you. It seems like we simply set the event in motion, a little over a month ago, and you all took the ball and ran with it. If we take anything away from the experience it is that there is a very clear need for this sort of event. So be certain, we will continue to fill the need in every way we can.

Statistics From The Event:

1. Number of Registered Attendees: 1928
2. Number of Live Presentations: 26
3. Number of Pre-Recorded Presentations: 1
4. Hours of Live Content: 13
5. Maximum Number of Attendees in All Webainrs at Once: 1004
6. Maximum Number of Attendees in a Single Webinar: 404
7. Registered Attendees That Participated: 1634
8. Number of Live, In-Office Events: 71
9. Largest Population at an In-Office Event: 127
10. Number of T-Shirts Printed: 500
11. Number of T-Shirts Delivered by Tuesday: 460
12: Total Unique Traffic to VREBC.com in 30 Days of Existence: 11,161
13. Total Unique Traffic to VREBC.com on Day of Event: 3,651
14. Most Registrations in One Day: 366 (11/16/09)
15. Fewest Registrations in One Day: 5 (11/8/09)
16. Greatest Referrer of Registrations: Facebook 20.9%
17. Referrer Runner-Up: Office/Co-Worker: 20.2%
18. Number of Sponsors: 13
19. Total Money Raised For Warmath Charity on Day of Event: $427
20. Total Number of #vrebc Tweets During Event: 2330
21. Number of Countries that Tuned In: 11
22. Number of Attendees in a Bathrobe: Insufficient data.

Of all the stats above, the one that stands out most to me is the charity total. If everyone had donated a quarter ($0.25) we would have raised $475 for the Warmath Children College Fund. Collectively, we raised only $425. If we can find 120 more donors that feel like they got $5 worth of knowledge from this event, then we can at least present the family with a $1000 donation in all of out names. Together, by giving a little, we can all make a big difference.

Presentation Downloads:

Below are download links for the Notes and PowerPoint presentations of the Speakers that we have received. If you presented at the event, and have something for us to post here, please send them so that we can update this list.

Ross Hair - Converting Social Media Into More Real Estate Closings
Ross Hair - Social Media Mind Map

Frances Flynn Thorsen - Social Media Risk Management Part 1
Frances Flynn Thorsen - Social Media Risk Management Part 2

Was It Social?

One of the concerns before the event, even at its conception was: Can it be social?
Can we capture any of that social magic that happens in the real life barcamp events?

We set up the 3 obvious avenues, a Twitter Hashtag (#vrebc), a Facebook Fan Page, and a Chat Room.

Here's what Matt Stigliano had to say about the experience:

My biggest fear as it was a very simple scrolling chat, was that the conversation would inevitably turn boring. It didn’t. People engaged and discussed the finer points of what was being said in each session. We shared our tips, tricks, and ideas. My guess is that it was a lot like the conversations that take place in the hallway of REbarcamps all over the country.

This was the sense that I got from many of the participants that we heard from. We also heard that people were jumping from the Twitter hashtag to the chat room, not wanting to miss anything. With 2330 #vrebc tweets and 100's of active attendees in the chat room, there was at least a conversation happening, that's for sure.

71 Offices held their own live event during the BarCamp. One office wrote this blog about the experience, mentioning that, "The day exceeded all expectations as 3 rooms had standing room only attendance." He continued, " it provided me with the opportunity to spend a day with the agents and then kick back at the social meetup party afterward."

Our goal with the office events and the in-real-life meetups after the event were to try and bring participants together, physically, much like the standard BarCamps can. The feedback we have received from the office meetups and the after event meetups is that everyone enjoyed themselves, and really took advantage of the social aspect of the day.

I think we can continue to improve the social experience in subsequent events, but for a first go at taking the conference online, I think the consensus is that YES, it was Social. Mission accomplished.

Suggestions We've Received:

Here are some suggestions that we are considering and would love some discussion among our participants in the comments.

1. Longer Sessions.
Is 30 mins too short? Should we encourage the speakers to present on a mitigated topic? Or, do we extend the presentation time to 45 mins, or even an hour?

The format we went with mirrors the standard BarCamp schedule. 30 mins up, 15 mins down. After experiencing this schedule online, I do think that we should extend the sessions by 15 mins, making the schedule 45 mins up, 15 mins down. Thoughts?

2. More Engagement with the Presenters.
Should we allow for live question and answer? Do we need to encourage the presenters to have a partner to handle the live questions?

In the presenting guidelines, we encouraged the presenters to not engage the live audience in the their sessions. 30 mins was such a short window to present in the first place, and we wanted to avoid the likely possibility of being taken off track with dozens of questions from the large audience. That said, I do believe that there is a need to engage with the presenters, and I propose that we set up 'break out' chat rooms for each presenter to 'hold court' for 15 minutes after their session.

3. Offer a Panel Format for Some of the Sessions.
Can we pull off a 3 or 4 person panel with a moderator on the line, all virtually? Should it be given at least an hour, given the range of participation needed?

I like the idea. If we have a solid panel that proposes a session, why not? Thoughts?

4. Record the Sessions.
We have received a TON of requests for replays of the sessions. The reality of the situation was that we were just 3 people doing everything we could (at the time) to make this a smooth event. Adding the recording to the dynamic was the first thing we had to sacrifice in the production to maintain our sanity. Now that we have the experience of this event behind us, I guarantee that our future events will have full recordings of each session, available for download.

5. Less 101 and More Advanced Topics.
We recognize that the majority of the audience did find out about the event because our social media reach, which would lead us to understand that the majority of the attendees were somewhat versed in the fundamentals of using Social Media, and other online marketing strategies. Catering to this audience with more advanced topics and content is crucial, and we will make an effort to secure some advanced topic presenters for future events. However, we can't ignore that the clear goal of these events is to educate the new adopters, not the early ones. With a little more attention to pinning 101 classes at the same time as advanced ones we can hope to satisfy the greatest number of you.

6. Less Selling in the Presentations.
We put up some guidelines for all the presenters, and included a "no selling" point in said guidelines. But, we can't and won't control what happens in each session. We can only hope that all the presenters 'get' the spirit of the event and follow suit. That said, I personally don't mind a little 'selling of your time' in your presentation. Maybe it is the salesman in me, but if I have a captive audience, a little shameless self promotion is impossible to resist.

Tech Challenges:

What were the "tech difficulties"?

1. Limit of attendees allowed in each webinar was accidentally capped at 300 instead of 1001.

It seems we made the mistake of launching the Webainars manually, about 15 minutes earlier than schedule. We were anxious and wanted to get them up and running to test them and get that detail out of the way. Well... it turns out that this is how you limit the permitted attendance of a webinar to only 300 instead of the advertised 1000. In fact, the Admin Control Panel continues to read: Max 1001. Immediately we started getting complaints of people not being able to join "Full Webinars". We called Citrix and they informed us that we shouldn't have launched them manually, and that there is now nothing that they can do. We closed each wenbinar room, relaunched it, and this seemed to reset the allowed attendees to 1001 again.

2. Jumping in and out of webinars was not "easy".

We realized that the switch between webinars was not going to be smooth. There is just no way to have it automatic, given the service that we used: GoToWebinar. We think that we can improve expectations by posting a clear, step-by-step expectation of jumping from room to room.

3. Audio issues for the speakers.

A few of the speakers had issues calling in and being heard. We solved all of them but 1 instance, and are still unsure what caused that challenge. The other challenges were related to permissions, access links and audio pins. With practice we can better manage these potential challenges, and hope to minimize them in the future.

4. Audio issues for the attendees.

Some attendees were not hearing the audio. The only solution we have heard to overcome this is to log out and log back in again. It seems to resolve all audio issues. Otherwise, attendees must dial in and listen with their phones.

Our Next Event:

It is official. We are going to ride the wave of interest and enjoyment from this event and produce another. Bigger, Better and Broader.

Date: Monday the 4th of January (just before Inman NYC)
Time: 9AM PST - 4PM PST
Webinar Rooms: Four.
Number of Presenters: 28
Length of Sessions: 45 mins.
Length of Breaks: 15 mins.
Registration Goal: 3,500
Office Event Goal: 200

In the meantime, we will be working feverishly to build a more social experience around the event. If you would like to be more connected to that experience, please join the beta version of TomatoUniversity.com.

Thanks again to our sponsors, speakers and those that helped produce this awesome event.

Will Brokers Guarantee Our Quest For 1000 Registrants For Virtual REBarCamp?

2009-10-26T15:42:15Z

“You buy the pizza, we’ll deliver the education”

Brokers, imagine providing your real estate agents the ability to learn from industry leaders, top marketing professionals and social media experts without leaving the office or paying for speakers to visit your destination.

This is what Virtual RE Bar Camp (VREBC) can do for your office.

Your entire office can get the educational experience that REBarCamps have provided to thousands of agents across the country. Bring the power of this event to your agents, without the cost and travel. The Ultimate Office Meeting.

Every brokerage is looking for new and unique ways to provide value to their agents. The Virtual REBarCamp is the solution:

Progressive Education: Stay relevant in this changing marketplace.
Diverse Content: There is something for everyone.
Nationally Celebrated and Recognized Presenters: Value!
All Day Event: Everyone should be able to participate with this schedule.
It’s Free: The price is right!

Brokers and office managers, this is the perfect opportunity for you to offer an experience of incredible value to your agents.

Suggestions for a successful, in-office RE BarCamp:

- Projector screens and a strong audio source.
- Separate rooms for the separate webinar channels (3).
- A tech-savvy assistant or manager to ensure a smooth operation.
- Computers dedicated to Social Media avenues (Facebook, Twitter, TomatoChat.com) allowing the office to get into the national conversation.
- Pizza and refreshments.
- The After-Event-MeetUp. Plan an off location MeetUp to have a drink together and meet other participants from your community.

If you are going to plan an in office VREBC we would love to know. We will showcase your event and brokerage on our website: http://www.vrebc.com. Instant cool! We’d also appreciate it if you could request that the participating agents register on our site so that we can get a sense of the overall participation count.

we will be holding the first of its kind,
Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

What is it?

In place of a rented venue, we'll be holding the event online.
In place of break-out sessions in rooms, we'll we have simultaneous webinars, all day.
In place of the hallways, we will be chatting on Twitter, Facebook, Backnoise and TomatoChat.
In place of traveling you'll be able to attend from the comfort of your home or office.
In place of an impromptu calendar, we will be filling presentation slots all month.

Attendance is unlimited, and it is still FREE!

It's Official! We're Holding A Virtual Real Estate BarCamp On November 17th

2009-10-20T10:55:11Z

Some said we were crazy, but no one said it was a bad idea.

On November 17th from 9AM until 4PM PST
we will be holding the first of its kind,
Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

What is it?

In place of a rented venue, we'll be holding the event online.
In place of break-out sessions in rooms, we'll we have simultaneous webinars, all day.
In place of the hallways, we will be chatting on Twitter, Facebook, Backnoise and TomatoChat.
In place of traveling you'll be able to attend from the comfort of your home or office.
In place of an impromptu calendar, we will be filling presentation slots all month.

Attendance is unlimited, and it is still FREE!

And finally, so as to not lose the Social Aspect of the BarCamp atmosphere, we are encouraging volunteers around the country to organize In-Real-Life MeetUps for immediately after the online event. Sponsorship donations will help fund these Social Media Happy Hour style gatherings, so please let us know if you would like to help by volunteering your time to organize a local MeetUp.

As the calendar of sessions and the IRL MeetUps start to come together, we will keep you all posted through Twitter and our Facebook Fan Page.

Block off your entire calendar for Tuesday, Nov 17th. None of these webinars will be available after the event. You do not want to miss this.

Teresa Boardman Talks With The Real Estate Tomato TODAY at 3pm on RETomatoRadio.com

2009-10-15T16:08:30Z

We are thrilled to announce that on RETomatoRadio.com will be speaking with Real Estate Blogging Royalty, Teresa Boardman. Teresa has launched the StPaulRealEstateBlog.com in November 2005, and has hardly missed a day of blogging since.

Her dedication, and local-focused approach to blogging has been the inspiration of 1000s of real estate bloggers across the country.

Together, with Teresa we will be discussing the following:

How on Earth she manages to regularly write for:

StPaulRealEstateBlog.com

Photo Blogging

Topic Development

Blogging Discipline

And the “Future of the Future” because no one is addressing that.

And much more, including your questions.

Time: 3pm PST
Where to listen live: RETomatoRadio.com
Call-in Number to listen away from your computer: 347-884-9764
Live Chat: www.TomatoChat.com

How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Real Estate Blogsite

2009-09-13T12:11:29Z

How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Real Estate Blogsite

Without doubt, the most common question that I get from brand new blogging clients is, "Can you help me choose a domain name?"

The days of agents using their own name as their website identity are gone, and this has them left with the task of developing a new, powerful brand.

After answering this question and setting up several hundred domains over the last few years the formula has become clear. That said, you could probably break everyone one of these 'rules' and still end up with an incredibly successful blog.

But before we get the guidelines, you need to get into a Domain Buying State of Mind.

What Are You Going To Be Blogging About? Ultimately your content will determine your success, not your domain name. However, taking into consideration what your topics of focus are to be make a nice direction for your site's name, and help potential visitors understand your focus.

Who Is Your Ideal Reader? Once you can define who you need to read your blog, you can consider what impact the domain name will make on them.

What First Impression Are You Looking To Make? We ask this question in our design interviews because it makes all the difference in connecting with what our clients' design needs are. This consideration can make a difference in your domain name selection.

What Are Your Blogging Goals? Leads VS Relationships - Communities VS Traffic - You As The Expert VS Your Site As The Tool.

Who Will Be Writing On The Blog? Is the name you choose going to work for everyone involved?

Basic Guidelines to Choosing A Real Estate Blog Domain Name

1. Easy To Remember

If your audience can’t remember your domain name at first glance then you have made a poor decision.

Note: Terms like “Real Estate” and your community of focus (San Diego, for example) are incredibly easy for your audience to remember. If your blog is a real estate site about San Diego simply tag a word that’s easy to remember to that and you’re fine. Wire, Voice, Blog, Report, News, Wave, Juice, Crab, Cafe… are all examples of single words added to an easy-to-remember combination.

StPaulRealEstateBlog.com
StLouisRealEstateVoice.com
MiamiRealEstateCafe.com

I’m not suggesting this type of combo as the best alternative, but it is common for a reason; it’s memorable. (There is one clear peril to using a term like 'blog' in the domain: Your site may grow to be bigger than the identity of the blog, and yet now limited, in impression, by the domain).

Beware of easy to confuse combinations of words. If the order of words don't make a strong impact, or don't have a natural order, you can be sure they will be jumbled, and your potential visitor will end up on someone else’s site.

ChicoHomeSearching.com VS HomeSearchingInChico.com VS ChicoHomeSearch.com

And finally, if it can’t be remembered, it can’t be branded.

2. Easy To Spell

Google does a good job of suggesting words when it catches a misspelling with their “Did You Mean?” feature. But that doesn’t mean that they will suggest your site. And, not all browsers automatically utilize a search engine if they don’t recognize the url.

If you cover a community that is commonly misspelled (Schenectady, for example), it would be worth buying domains with common misspellings just to cover all bases. I own RealEstateTomatoe.com, and you wouldn't believe how much traffic I still get for this misspelling.

And finally, if it is difficult to spell, it makes your domain harder to remember.

3. Value Of Keywords

The question is, "Do I Need "Real Estate" in the Domain Name?

The short answer is: No.

The other question is, "Should I have keywords in my domain name"

The short answer is: Yes, keywords are a benefit in your domain name. The reason is because when you are linked to, by another site using your domain name, the link the use contains these keywords, and they are considered a relevant description by the search engines. For example, if I link to SantaBarbaraRealEstateVoice.com from this article, the spiders will see the keywords Santa Barbara Real Estate associated with my link, giving a description to the site I am linking to. This is a key element to success with inbound links: that they clearly define and describe your site. You’ll see me regularly use keywords (and alt titles) when I link from my articles to boost the value of the link for site.

-BUT- Keywords in a domain are not required for your site’s success. Most of the successes you will gain in the search engines come from your content, not your domain name. I recommend that you first consider the memorability of the domain before you start adding keywords, just for keyword’s sake.

Some favorite real estate blogsite domains without a definitive keyword:

Miamism.com
HomeSection.com
CentersAndSquares.com

4. Length

The length of the domain is certainly relevant to the above considerations. 5 words in a domain name is not necessarily too many if it makes sense. Take Valerie Fitzgerald’s domain name:LosAngelesRealEstateTalk.com. The name of the area and the term ‘real estate’ are a given, leaving just the term ‘blog’ to be remembered. No one interested in reading a blog about real estate in Los Angeles is going to forget that domain name.

However, something like: CastleRockRealEstateHomesForSale.com is ridiculous. It is difficult to remember, keyword stuffed and a P.I.T.A. to type. Remember, the object is to create a powerful brand that supports your powerful content, not to make a mockery of your site's name just to improve your SEO.

There are still 6 more Major Determining Factors for choosing your Domain Name.
To read those, you will need to collow the link to this article's original location.

How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Real Estate Blogsite

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

10 Inman Connect San Francisco Passes Are Up For Grabs.

2009-07-16T15:48:20Z

Yesterday, during our Tomato Radio Show with Brad Inman and Daniel Rothamel of Inman News, Brad was feeling generous and announced that he would give us 10 free passes to the upcoming Inman Connect conference in San Francisco. He also mentioned that we can give them away in any manner that we please.

So, instead of just handing them out to the first to raise their hands, I figured we would run a little competition.

I know how busy real estate agents are, so I’m not going to make this too difficult. However, I also know that the biggest challenge for bloggers is the commitment to developing regular content. So this competition will be about swift and easy content creation.

Requirements to get one of the 10 Inman Connect Free Passes:

1. Write an article (or post a video) on your blog that includes a 50 word reason that you deserve a ticket. The article doesn’t have to be 50 words, but the reason that you deserve the ticket has to be exactly 50 words.

2. The article (not the reason) must link back to this article on the Real Estate Tomato Blog, and to the Inman Connect San Francisco page.

There are 2 ways to win:

1. The first 5 respondents that meet the above requirements automatically win a free ticket.

2. The 5 most creative entries will each win one of the remaining free tickets.

We will be rewarding only one ticket to each winner. Real Estate Tomato staff will be voting to determine the for the creative entries.

Please note: If you don’t have a blog, well, we can help you with that.
And we will find a way to get you a free ticket if you become a client today.

If you didn’t win a free ticket, but would still like to attend the Inman Connect Conference in SF Aug 4th-7^th, we can still help you receive a substantial discount by visiting thisregistration page and using the coupon code: Tomato.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Subscribe to be notified of the next one?

ShareThis

Brad Inman and Daniel Rothamel To Appear on Tomato Radio, July 15th at 3pm PST. The Inman Connect Show!

2009-07-14T15:35:36Z

This week’s show is another amazing opportunity to learn from some of the biggest names on the Real Estate Industry.

On Wednesday, July 15^th, at 3pm PST, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Brad Inman and Daniel Rothamel of Inman News.

For the last several years, Brad has organized, what I consider, to be the most important conference for the real estate industry. The opportunity to connect, network and learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry make it a Must Attend event. It is labeled as 3 days, but those of us whom attend know that it is a full week of opportunity.

So what are we going to be talking with Brad and Daniel about? Well the big event in San Francisco, of course.

Brad and Daniel will be sharing their thoughts on:

What makes this Connect Event different than all the ones in the past?
What are they most excited about for the upcoming event?
What makes Blogger’s Connect so special?
What will they take away from the experience?
Who are the 'do not miss' names speaking at the event? (Besides me, of course!).

And, we will be taking you calls as always. So prepare your questions for them now!

The event this summer is in San Francisco from the 4^th to the 7^th of August at the Palace Hotel.

To Learn More About Inman Connect:
Bloggers Connect
Schedule of Events
Conference Program
Workshops
Start-Up Alley
Speakers
Innovator Awards
Social Networking
Sponsors
Pricing
and more.

Visit RETomatoRadio.com at 3pm PST on July 15^th to listen in live.

Call in to listen away from your computer, and Ask Questions: (347) 884-9764
(Hit the #1 on the keypad to get our attn, and we'll bring you on live!)

There's a chat room too!

Yes, there will be a podcast in case you missed the live show... but being there is where it's at!

Are you a fan yet of Tomato Radio’s Fan Page on Facebook?

50 Sound Real Estate Blogging Tips

2009-07-11T16:49:08Z

50 Sound Real Estate Blogging Tips

Most of my blogging efforts revolve around delivering sound real estate blogging advice. The articles generally take me at least a couple of hours to develop, format, publish and broadcast. I have dozens and dozens of ideas that are just waiting to be developed and published, but as we all know, the mostchallenging thing about blogging is carving out the time.

Then it strikes me. Micro Blogging on Twitter would be a fantastic solution to my dilemma: a ton of ideas, and no time to get them into blog-shape. So, on April 25th, 2009, I started posting Real Estate Blogging Tips to Twitter, under the hashtag #reblogtips. Only having 140 characters with which to deliver sound advice forced each one to be clear and definitive. The following are a collection of 50 of those first two months of tips.

1. Near holidays, timely posts can drive HUGE traffic to your blog. Great article on just that phenomena: http://bit.ly/WysfJ

2. Tell it from your perspective. If you think you don't have one, then you don't have much business being a blogger.

3. Getting your readers to subscribe to your blog is crucial. Make it VERY CLEAR how to subscribe via email and rss reader.

4. Copy/Pasting entire articles you find on the Wire to your blog = Fail. Grab a paragraph and leverage your own opinion.

5. Do an Interview Post with a local business owner and it will dominate the SE's for their business. Good power to have!

6. Never, I mean never, under estimate pointing out the obvious. What's clear to you is that "a ha" moment of others.

7. Looking for your blogging voice? Tell a great real estate story, a story that has a point with value for your ideal reader.

8. Write posts with the intention of making your blog better. Each article is someone's first impression of you.

9. Want good SEO content about yourself on your blog? Interview yourself with some keyword rich questions. It'll be fun too

10. Use Sub Headers to break up the different ideas or sections of your blog articles. Easier to read, and huge for SEO!

11. Blog from your ideal reader's point of view. Ask their questions, in their voice, and then answer them.

12. Don't be afraid to ask for guest authors to contribute to your blog. Or pay it forward and offer to write on someone else's.

13. 3 reasons LISTS make for great blog articles: 1. They make engaging headlines. 2. Easy to write. 3. Easy to read.

14. 2 great locations for FREE and interesting IMAGES for your blog posts: http://cli.gs/DHsj1R and http://cli.gs/RTBRj8

15. Your images will rock in Google with keyword rich file names and alternate text. These details make all the difference.

16. Learn to add padding around your images to keep them from butting up against the text. It will make it look like you care.

17. What is the most challenging element of blogging? Finding the time. If it’s that important, you must schedule it!

18. Every article needs an image. It's worth the $1/per to get the perfect one at istockphoto.com.

19. Your categories NEED to be Keyword Rich. Yes, you should change them if they are vague, or lame.

20. Your readers love lists. They represent the perfect Snack Sized Article that they can quickly consume.

To read the REMAINING 30 Blogging Tips, you'll need to head over to the Original Location of this post on the Real Estate Tomato:

50 Sound Real Estate Blogging Tips

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

iBidcondo.com – The New Way to Buy Real Estate

2009-07-02T11:36:53Z

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.

Full property details - http://ibidcondo.com/auctions/29/details

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.

The 11 Most Common Pitfalls For New Real Estate Bloggers

2009-07-01T13:41:51Z

The 11 Most Common Pitfalls For New Real Estate Bloggers

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.

___

1. Worrying About Design Before the Writing

___

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.

More on this topic:
Why Am I Blogging Again?

___

2. Failing To Establish A Clear Focus for the Content

___

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.

More on this topic:
Your Real Estate Blog is Your Newspaper.

___

3. Failing to Recognize and Write to Their Ideal Reader

___

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.

More on this topic:
8 Things That You Are Not Doing On Your Real Estate Blog, But Should Be.

___

4. Failing to Read and Learn from Other Bloggers

___

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.

More on this topic:
7 Reasons Why Your Local Real Estate Blogging Peers Are Not Your Competition.
How Twitter Makes You a Better Writer

For Pitfalls 5-11, you'll need to click through to the original location of this article on Real Estate Tomato.

The 11 Most Common Pitfalls For New Real Estate Bloggers

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

Jeff Turner of Real Estate Shows To Appear LIVE on Tomato Radio, TODAY July 1st at 3pm PST.

2009-07-01T12:40:38Z

Call in #: 347-884-9764
Click Here to Listen Online (starting at 3pm PST)

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 1^st, 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!

Click Here to Listen Live at 3pm PST on July 1^st.

Call in to listen away from your computer, and Ask Questions: (347) 884-9764
(Hit the #1 on the keypad to get our attn, and we'll bring you on live!)

There's a Chat Room too!

Yes, there will be a podcast in case you missed the live show... but being there is where it's at!

Are you a fan yet of Tomato Radio’s Fan Page on Facebook?

Listen to Tomato Radio Today At 3pm PST: We're Getting a Behind The Scene Look At ActiveRain with Jeff Corbett (VP of Operations).

2009-06-15T13:25:13Z

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.

Listen Live: http://cli.gs/tb7u8t

Call In To Listen: (347) 884-9764

Call in with your questions. (347) 884-9764 (Then hit the #1 on the keypad to get our attn, and we'll bring you on live!)

There's a Chat Room too! http://cli.gs/tb7u8t

Yes, there will be a podcast in case you missed the live show... but being there is where it's at!

An Honest Look at the Impact of Video on Your Real Estate Blog

2009-06-05T18:41:41Z

Welcome to our latest Tomato Collaborative Article where we cover the topic of Video in Real Estate Blogging.

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.

Cons?

...CONTINUED

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN TRUNCATED FROM ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION, AND THE REMAINDER OF IT (as well as the original comments) CAN BE FOUND BY SIMPLY CLICKING BELOW:

An Honest Look at the Impact of Video on Your Real Estate Blog

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

How Does Teresa Boardman Post Every Day To Her Real Estate Blog?

2009-06-05T18:32:41Z

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.

...CONTINUED >>>

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN TRUNCATED FROM ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION, AND THE REMAINDER OF IT (as well as the original comments) CAN BE FOUND BY SIMPLY CLICKING BELOW:

How Does Teresa Boardman Post Every Day To Her Real Estate Blog?

Real Estate and Twitter - Use Hashtags to Dominate a Niche.

2009-05-12T13:26:49Z

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

Participating with Hashtags on Twitter.

...CONTINUED

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN TRUNCATED FROM ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION, AND THE REMAINDER OF IT (as well as the original comments) CAN BE FOUND BY SIMPLY CLICKING BELOW:

Real Estate and Twitter - Use Hashtags to Dominate a Niche.

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

Don't Miss May 15th Tomato Radio Episode: Online Video In Real Estate

2009-05-12T13:24:11Z

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.

We have 2 very special guests:

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 15^th of the month.

What: Online Video in Real Estate with Ian Watt and Tara Jones.
When: May 15th from 3pm to 4pm PST
Where: BlogTalkRadio.com/retomato

How Do I Call In?: (347) 884-9764

Lost In The Crowd: Realtors Fail To Effectively Leverage Social Media.

2009-03-31T19:08:14Z

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.

But there's a problem.

...CONTINUED

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN TRUNCATED FROM ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION, AND THE REMAINDER OF IT (as well as the original comments) CAN BE FOUND BY SIMPLY CLICKING BELOW:

Lost In The Crowd: Realtors Fail To Effectively Leverage Social Media.

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

8 Things That You Are Not Doing On Your Real Estate Blog, But Should Be.

2009-01-06T09:38:08Z

1. Microblogging

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

At Inman Connect last summer, we held a panel on Taking Your Blog to the Next Level. My take then (and still) is that there is way too much Realtor-on-Realtor action happening in what are supposed to be local level real estate blogs, aimed at developing an audience of potential clients. It took several paragraphs to cover all the bases in an article, so I will save the space and provide a link to the benefits of getting other local voices to carry the load of your blog content.

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.

4. Using Google Maps

I’m not talking about just popping a map on the site to showcase a location. Google maps are so incredibly versatile now, that the range of resources you can create for your audience is endless. To whet your appetite, here is a link to Lori Turoff’s post that describes her Open House Map for Hoboken, NJ.

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’.

...CONTINUED

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN TRUNCATED FROM ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION, AND THE REMAINDER OF IT (as well as the original comments) CAN BE FOUND BY SIMPLY CLICKING BELOW:

8 Things That You Are Not Doing On Your Real Estate Blog, But Should Be.

Social Media: It's About the Contact, Not the Conversation

2008-12-17T18:47:18Z

Social Media: It's About the Contact, Not the Conversation

We have a real treat for you today here at the Tomato. Brian Brady, easily one of the most well-known Mortgage Bloggers on the planet, has just delivered to us, a solid piece on a topic that we both feel really needs some clarity: Social Media.

If you are struggling to embrace social media as a viable marketing strategy, this post, and the announcement at the end is your ticket to success.

It's About the Contact, Not the Conversation

By Brian Brady

Google calls me "America's #1 Mortgage Broker" but funding loans is not what I do for a living. You might consider yourself to be a "real estate consultant" or a "short sale specialist" but I assure you that your job is not selling houses.

You and I are Marketers...Salespeople...Client Attractors. Our number one job is to find prospective clients. Now, I know that many folks detest that role. Nobody likes the pushy insurance agent at the Chamber of Commerce meeting or the overbearing stock broker at the family picnic. In contrast, many of us embrace the Web 2.0 revolution as a way to generate business. Certainly, blogging is one medium to attract clients BUT...

Blogging ain’t enough if you want to put up big numbers on the scoreboard. I play this game to win so I'm all about scoring points. Every day, I want to hit a grand slam, catch one in the end zone, score a hat trick, or hammer three-pointers. I EXPECT to win, every single day, because of my social media strategy.

Five years ago, I started learning how to use social media to circumvent the pending "Do Not Call" legislation. Since college, I always made my living on the telephone. A typical day consisted of me rooting through my rolodex, with two-phones glued to each ear. That damned "Do Not Call" list threatened my very existence

LinkedIn changed all that, in 2003. I was invited to LinkedIn and found that I was the only mortgage guy in a roomful of well-earning tech folks, who owned homes. Myspace came, in 2004. I honed the rich demographic data to connect me with REALTORs by creating and promoting a group called MLS on Myspace. Active Rainwas a no brainer. Facebook is the perfect combination to mix both consumer direct and professional referral platforms.

Folks on the ClueTrain might suggest that social media are "all about the conversation"; I couldn't disagree more. It's all about the contact. Your social media efforts, which include blogging, need to have some sort of ROI if you intend to thrive in business. I measure my ROI by contacts made daily. My goal, every morning, is to find five new contacts who give me permission to market to them. I engage in pull marketing through rich content and engaging hooks (I'll discuss those hooks on the webinar). It's designed to be non-intrusive and qualifying, always getting participants to "raise their hand" but it starts with the contact. If you're blogging your little heart out and nobody's reading you, you're like that tree that fell in the forest.

Let me give you an example. The Facebook status bar is a tremendous tool; it's like Twitter with pictures. I feed the Facebook community by sharing things about my life:

1- I rejoiced when the Phillies beat the Rays to win the World Series
2- I listen to George Strait
3- I voted for Mc Cain
4- I lock mortgage rates below 5%, for selected clients.

When I dropped that sub 5% rate, on my Facebook status bar, every disco lovin', Obama supporter, from Tampa Bay, wanted to talk to me...WHY?

...because I hold their interest. They needled me on Election Day, hated me when the Rays lost the World Series, and were appalled that a guy in suspenders listens to old-school country music but I hold their interest. I love people so that gives me a leg up on the competition. I congratulated them when President-Elect Obama won and taunted them throughout the World Series but I love the contact.

The contact then, becomes a conversation.

Do I troll the social media, looking for likely candidates, then spam them with a friend request? Absolutely! I love people...seriously, I LOVE them. I think everybody I haven't met is just a friend in waiting...and so should you. THAT is our job, folks. The buying, selling, and financing of houses is the easy part.

Jim Cronin and I will be holding a FREE webinar about how to make lots of friends online. I’ll walk you through how I set up my profiles, fill up my friend's lists, and engage the community. More importantly, I'll show you how those friends will become clients.

December 30
1:00PM to 2:30PM
Pacific Standard Time

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar Seat Now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/305650851

PS: Every time I speak or offer a webinar, some REALTOR says "Well, he's a lender. It's different for him". That is the silliest thing I've ever heard. I get more business from consumers than I do from REALTOR referrals and those consumers come from my social media efforts.

PPS: If you don't like the webinar, we'll refund every penny we charge you for it.

PPPS: That was a joke; the webinar is free. See you in two weeks !
—

Thanks Brian, we are thrilled to have you on the Vine!

Read more from Brian Brady:
Brian’s Website
Brian’s ActiveRain Blog
Brian’s Post Archive on the BloodhoundBlog
P: (858)- 777-9751

The Real Estate Tomato

OMG! Have you seen this list of Speakers for the upcoming Virtual BarCamp? (officially a MUST ATTEND EVENT)

Meet the speakers that will present at the FREE Virtual Real Estate BarCamp on January 4th.

The below are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

40 Clear Reasons Why You Need to Register for Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

Potential Topics for Virtual Real Estate BarCamp Presentations.

Introducing the 2nd Edition of Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

We're Back!Introducing the 2nd Edition of Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

January 4th - 9am until 4pm PST9 Hours, 28 Incredible Speakers, 1000s of Attendees!

It's Free!

In an effort to always improve, we have made some changes to the event format:

We have boosted our goals for the event as well:

We have a new website: www.VirtualBarCamp.com

Real Estate Brokerage Websites - I Don’t Think We Are In Kansas Anymore

Real Estate Brokerage Websites - I Don’t Think We Are In Kansas Anymore

New To Real Estate Blogging? 6 Simple Steps to Get You Started.

New To Reading Real Estate Blogs? 6 Steps Get You Started.

1. Determine The Mission of the Blog

2. Focus On The Continuous Core Message In The Blog

3. Blogs Are Not Books, They Are Editorials.

4. Categories Are The Pillars Of A Well Organized Blog.

5. Sign Up For RSS Feeds And/Or Email Feeds Of The Daily Articles.

6. Get Involved. Participate. Be Heard.

Exactly How The Long Tail In Real Estate Blogging Will Bring The Ready-To-Act Home Buyer.

Exactly How The Long Tail In Real Estate Blogging Will Bring The Ready-To-Act Home Buyer.

The First Virtual Real Estate BarCamp: A Huge Success!

Statistics From The Event:

Presentation Downloads:

Was It Social?

Suggestions We've Received:

Tech Challenges:

Our Next Event:

Will Brokers Guarantee Our Quest For 1000 Registrants For Virtual REBarCamp?

“You buy the pizza, we’ll deliver the education”

Suggestions for a successful, in-office RE BarCamp:

we will be holding the first of its kind,Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

It's Official! We're Holding A Virtual Real Estate BarCamp On November 17th

On November 17th from 9AM until 4PM PSTwe will be holding the first of its kind,Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

Teresa Boardman Talks With The Real Estate Tomato TODAY at 3pm on RETomatoRadio.com

How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Real Estate Blogsite

Without doubt, the most common question that I get from brand new blogging clients is, "Can you help me choose a domain name?"

Basic Guidelines to Choosing A Real Estate Blog Domain Name

1. Easy To Remember

2. Easy To Spell

3. Value Of Keywords

4. Length

10 Inman Connect San Francisco Passes Are Up For Grabs.

Requirements to get one of the 10 Inman Connect Free Passes:

There are 2 ways to win:

Brad Inman and Daniel Rothamel To Appear on Tomato Radio, July 15th at 3pm PST. The Inman Connect Show!

This week’s show is another amazing opportunity to learn from some of the biggest names on the Real Estate Industry.

On Wednesday, July 15th, at 3pm PST, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Brad Inman and Daniel Rothamel of Inman News.

Brad and Daniel will be sharing their thoughts on:

50 Sound Real Estate Blogging Tips

iBidcondo.com – The New Way to Buy Real Estate

The 11 Most Common Pitfalls For New Real Estate Bloggers

1. Worrying About Design Before the Writing

2. Failing To Establish A Clear Focus for the Content

3. Failing to Recognize and Write to Their Ideal Reader

4. Failing to Read and Learn from Other Bloggers

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

Jeff Turner of Real Estate Shows To Appear LIVE on Tomato Radio, TODAY July 1st at 3pm PST.

Call in #: 347-884-9764 Click Here to Listen Online (starting at 3pm PST)

Todayy, July 1st, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Jeff Turner, president of Real Estate Shows.

Listen to Tomato Radio Today At 3pm PST: We're Getting a Behind The Scene Look At ActiveRain with Jeff Corbett (VP of Operations).

An Honest Look at the Impact of Video on Your Real Estate Blog

Welcome to our latest Tomato Collaborative Article where we cover the topic of Video in Real Estate Blogging.

Pros:

The Audience Better Identifies With Author.

Video Is Not a Fad

Search Engine Results

Convenience For Your Audience

Cons?

IT HAS BEEN CHOPPED BECAUSE THIS IS A SYNDICATION OF THE ORIGINAL, AND IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT FOR SEO PURPOSES IT IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY TO POST THE SAME ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY IN MORE THAN ONE LOCATION.

How Does Teresa Boardman Post Every Day To Her Real Estate Blog?

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.

Writing About Writing

I am going to share some tricks that have worked for me.

Real Estate and Twitter - Use Hashtags to Dominate a Niche.

Why follow Hashtags instead of just keywords on Twitter?

We're Back!
Introducing the 2nd Edition of Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

January 4th - 9am until 4pm PST
9 Hours, 28 Incredible Speakers, 1000s of Attendees!

we will be holding the first of its kind,
Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

On November 17th from 9AM until 4PM PST
we will be holding the first of its kind,
Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

On Wednesday, July 15^th, at 3pm PST, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Brad Inman and Daniel Rothamel of Inman News.

Call in #: 347-884-9764
Click Here to Listen Online (starting at 3pm PST)

Todayy, July 1^st, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Jeff Turner, president of Real Estate Shows.