online marketing: Ready, Set, Go! - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Days 28-31 - 01/01/12 02:35 AM
Many of the projects I've referenced in past posts are still in the works. Keyword research, analytics, social media optimization, photo editing, market research and online marketing are all tasks I'll need to do consistently in 2012 as well as fine-tuning the systems to track accountability and improve production.
Along with the items above I previewed homes for a California investor on Thursday. Our market is highly distressed (nearly 50% short sales and 20% REOs) and many homes need paint, carpet, and appliances which isn't always reflected in the price. After slightly revising their criteria, I showed 15 homes on Friday, four of which … (1 comments)
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online marketing: Make The Grade - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Day 23 - 12/31/11 02:56 AM
Want a quick way to evaluate your site and get some ideas for improvement? Website Grader is a great online tool that looks at your content and metadata and produces metrics such as MozRank, Alexa traffic rank, number of indexed pages and more.
One of the sites I'm building has a score of 89 out of 100. While I'm pleased to see it that high, there are still plenty of things I need to do to move forward. In 2012 I'll be monitoring this monthly, looking for the changes and tweaks I can make to score even higher.
For more tools … (2 comments)
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online marketing: Keywords and Analytics - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Days 19-22 - 12/31/11 12:22 AM
Unless you have a memorable, well-branded domain name, it's likely that a majority of the traffic to your online sites will be via the search engines and the keywords visitors use to find you. I've never had a consistent strategy for researching keywords and monitoring traffic and rankings so I'm spending a few days to get that in place.
For keyword research I start with the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. It's a quick way to see the volume of searches, similar terms, competitiveness and trends.
For traffic and other metrics I use Google Analytics and StatCounter. Because I've checked it … (4 comments)
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online marketing: Content Calendar - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Days 10 and 11 - 12/18/11 08:39 PM
Weekends were made for football, so what better time to use the game plan metaphor and start work on my 2012 content calendar. With my primary target area and price point defined I can now begin to think about online marketing. This goes beyond blogging to include Facebook, Twitter and other sites.
I've always been a numbers person, so spreadsheets and market reports come easily to me. I also love to take photos but have underutilized that interest lately. Here are some of the topics I'll be writing about in 2012:
Market reports Listing inventories Neighborhood overviews Photos, photos, photos Business … (1 comments)
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online marketing: Renew and Go Green - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Day 7 - 12/11/11 11:02 PM
With the rollout of eEdge earlier in the year, Keller Williams agents have had access to some great webinars and online masterminding on how to use Craigslist for lead generation. The Las Vegas site is highly competitive, with 2000-2500 ads posted in the real estate for sale section every day.
It takes time to build an inventory of ads (some Las Vegas agents have 500+), but once you have that done you can take advantage of the 'Renew' link to move your ads to the first page every 48 hours. Renewing my ads today took just a couple of minutes, but … (3 comments)
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online marketing: Craigslist Code Exposed - 07/27/11 10:40 AM
As part of our eEdge business solution, Keller Williams agents have access to a Market Leader website. The Pro version ($49/month for 2011; $99/month in 2012) has additional marketing tools including a 'Post to Craigslist' feature. With just one click, agents can generate all of the code to post ads like the one below.
Creating all of this code with just one click is impressive, but two parts of the ad don't look quite right to me. First, the text "Full Details" is underlined but is not a link, which violates basic web style. Second, the entire URL string … (5 comments)
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online marketing: Tips To Hold Reader Interest - 05/02/11 06:37 PM
Think of all of the time you put into writing a post. You begin with a unique idea, meticulously choose your words to please both readers and Google, add enticing images. And after all of that, visitors to your blog often make the decision to read or leave within seconds. It just doesn't sound fair, does it?
Subscribers and catchy headlines may draw initial reader interest, but it's your first few lines that will determine how long they stay. Brian Clark at Copyblogger has 5 Simple Ways To Open Your Blog Post With A Bang. Techniques like "sharing an anecdote or … (15 comments)
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online marketing: Is Content Really King? Maybe Not - 05/01/11 08:44 PM
Just about every new blogger has heard the advice "write consistent, high quality content and the readers will come." I've even said it myself a few times.
But does this really deliver the information our readers are looking for ... or is it just what we think they want?
In a guest post on Problogger, Stephen Guise explores 2 Blogging Myths: Traffic Measures Success and Content Is King. Traffic and great content alone do not make a successful blog. Read the full article on Problogger to find out what critical element matters most. So ... is content really king? Maybe not.
… (6 comments)
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online marketing: Keys To Facebook Fan Page Engagement - 01/25/11 11:04 PM
Over the last two years, many real estate agents have recognized the importance of having one or more Facebook fan pages to keep their business and personal lives separate while reaching out to potential buyers and sellers. Like any other form of social media, engaging your readers is crucial -- but how can you effectively do this with real estate?
One of the best bloggers on Facebook strategies is Mari Smith. In How To Better Engage Facebook Fan Page Fans, she shares her insights on content and comments.
Mari recommends a mix of content, and a minimum of one post per … (16 comments)
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online marketing: Dominate Your Market With Hyperlocal Content - 01/24/11 10:31 PM
In the world of real estate blogging, it's often the highly targeted, niche-oriented posts with long tail keywords that prompt buyers and sellers to contact the agent. With so much information available online, consumers can easily drill down to the neighborhood, street and even lot level.
Wouldn't it be great if it was your hyperlocal content that they found?
In 5 Ways To Make Your Website Scream Local, John Jantsch (author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine), shares some simple steps anyone can take to dominate their local online market. From geo content to strategic partnerships, all of these ideas … (3 comments)
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online marketing: Fun With Facebook Business Pages - 01/14/11 07:09 PM
Most real estate agents recognize the value of having a business page on Facebook. It's a great way to keep their personal and professional lives separate while building their business and providing valuable content to their sphere and potential buyers and sellers.
One of the challenges with a business page is how to keep the content fresh, interesting and engaging. Social Media Today's Taylor Elwood shares his ideas in 6 Tips For Bringing Personality to Your Facebook Business Page. Tip 5 made the most impact on me: "It's okay if it's not always about business."
To see all six tips, read the … (5 comments)
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online marketing: One-Stop Real Estate Technology - 01/08/11 04:27 PM
Wouldn't it be great if you could research and find all of your real estate technology needs at one site? Thanks to the guys at 1000 Watt Consulting you can with the Global Real Estate Index.
Loking for IDX solutions; slideshows and virtual tours; apps for your Droid, iPhone, or iPad; marketing tools; Wordpress plugins? It's all here. How about a list of 17 social communities in addition to ActiveRain?
It's 392 links and counting of real estate technology. Have fun!
… (6 comments)
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online marketing: Catch Backlinks With Link Bait - 01/05/11 11:42 PM
One of the best ways to expand your readership and improve your site's Page Rank with Google is to write content that serves as a resource or is so engaging (or controversial) that others link to it from their own posts -- hence the term "link bait."
In "How To Create Link Bait Content," blogger and internet marketing expert Brandon Connell shares examples of posts that attract links, and also gives tips on style and layout.
Some examples of real estate link bait articles are "11 Ways to Save Money for Your New Home", "Las Vegas Relocation Guide". or "Short Sales: A Guide … (4 comments)
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online marketing: Twitter Terms of Service - "You Own Your Content" - 10/22/10 04:48 PM
A recent featured Members Only post on ActiveRain created a bit of an uproar when it asserted that Twitter could sell and profit from photos uploaded by members, and that members would be unable to claim the content as their own. The post quoted portions of Twitter's Terms of Service, but left out the immediately preceding sentence which reads:
You retain your rights to any Content you submit, post or display on or through the Services.
Here's a screenshot from Twitter's Terms of Service:
Notice the portions I've underlined in red. "You retain your rights ... But what's … (4 comments)
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online marketing: Are You The Next Internet Marketing Specialist? - 09/19/10 02:53 AM
I'm starting to hear more and more about the Internet Marketing Specialist Designation. The site is a little sparse -- just two pages, with one of them being an order form with a price of $599.00, or $399.00 with a referral code.
The content looks similar to what is covered at RainCamp, on ActiveRain University, and in Soci@l (www.socialthebook.com).
There's definitely a need for today's real estate agents to be current on online marketing methods and trends, but I'm not convinced that another designation is the best answer.
What are your thoughts? Are you the next Internet Marketing Specialist?
… (11 comments)
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online marketing: Successful Internet Lead Conversion: From Prospect to Client - 01/15/10 06:06 PM
People buy and sell real estate every day, no matter which way the market is headed. Many begin their search online to find out what kinds of homes are available or how much their homes are worth. Agents who can effectively provide this information are well positioned to generate many leads.
The number of prospects is virtually unlimited. Every request for information or question about the market is an opportunity to develop business. Each new lead is neither good nor bad, just different -- and each is unique.
Every lead and every contact has value. Even if a particular person doesn't buy … (66 comments)
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online marketing: Get The Word Out With RSS - 09/10/09 03:21 PM
In the 2008 State of the Blogosphere, Technorati estimated that bloggers are "creating close to one million posts every day." The report also mentions that "77% of active Internet users read blogs" which represents more than 350 million people worldwide.
So how do you reach this huge pool of potential readers? Writing quality content with great SEO is certainly a big part of the equation, but there's also something really simple ... Really Simple Syndication (RSS).
What Is RSS? Wikipedia defines RSS as "a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works such as blog entries, news headlines, … (15 comments)
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online marketing: Maximizing Your Facebook Fan Page - 08/02/09 08:58 PM
A couple of weeks ago there was a manic digital land rush on Facebook. Lured by the availability of vanity URLs, real estate agents scrambled to create Fan pages and get to the magic number of 100 fans.
Today many of those pages are the online equivalent of a vacant lot. There is little content and even less engagement with the fan base.
What should agents build on these sites? Mashable offers a great blueprint with "5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page" by Samir Balwani. By following the example of companies like Coca Cola, Sears and Dell, real estate … (9 comments)
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online marketing: Facebook By The Ages - 08/02/09 05:39 PM
Real estate buyers and sellers come in all shapes and sizes ... and ages. Facebook is increasingly playing a part in many agent's online marketing efforts, and a new study shows the site is gaining popularity among older online users.
Are businesses making inroads with social media, or do users still see these sites as just a way to keep in touch with family and friends? At what point does user preference switch from MySpace to Facebook?
For the answers, read New Study Shows How Different Generations Use Facebook from InsideFacebook.com.
… (6 comments)
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online marketing: 12 Business Tips From Google - 07/26/09 09:03 PM
Is there any more benevolent site on the web than Google? It's so much more than a search engine, maps, office docs, photo editor or analytics system.
Take a look at the current Google roster of products. If you're like me, you likely found more than a few new gadgets that look interesting.
To help you implement these effectively, Debbie Leight of the Google Apps Team has written "Working with Google: Business tips to help you engage customers, monetize your site and work more efficiently."
If you don't hear from me over the next few days, I'm probably having a lot of fun … (14 comments)
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