social media: Give A Hoot - 2001 December Blogging Challenge: Day 18 - 12/25/11 02:49 AM
I've always been intrigued by the possibilities of social media, but maintaining a worthwhile presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can take a considerable amount of time. To streamline those tasks, I'm going to be using HootSuite. And I'm excited to learn that Hootsuite now works with Foursquare and Google+.
HootSuite bills itself as "the leading social media dashboard to manage and measure your social networks." I see this tool as a great way to leverage my social media contacts for lead generation and marketing. The caveat is not to overuse it so that my content still comes across as sincere … (28 comments)
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social media: Tweet This - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Day 17 - 12/25/11 01:32 AM
I have over 3,600 Twitter followers. It sounds like a lot, but I'd be the first to tell you that the level of communication is very, very low. Most of the fault lies with me; I have no strategy or system to consistently provide valuable information.
Twitter can be a great way to drive traffic to your blog or IDX solution. It's an easy way to share quick insights, quips, or photos -- right from your phone. It can be an especially powerful tool for breaking news or to draw attention to a worthy cause. And you can also use Twitter … (1 comments)
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social media: Stronger Links - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Day 16 - 12/25/11 01:08 AM
Continuing my social media optimization for 2012, I'm looking a lot closer at LinkedIn. There are some really nice features that I'm underutilizing like Groups, Answers, Applications, Company Search and more.
Real estate agents like to focus on connecting with other agents for referrals which can mean paying a referral fee of 30% or more. Doesn't it make more sense to align with other businesses and professionals to serve their real estate needs and keep your full commission? LinkedIn can help you do just that.
Still not sure about LinkedIn? Take a look at LewisHowes.com and I'm sure it will spark … (2 comments)
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social media: Taking An Online Inventory - 2011 December Blogging Challenge: Day 3 - 12/05/11 11:46 PM
On Saturday I started reviewing my online presence -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google+, WordPress, ActiveRain, Trulia, Zillow, Flickr, Picasa, and on an on.
Every agent should do this once or twice a year. Here are some items to consider:
Is your profile complete? Is your contact info easily accessible? Does the site have fresh content? Can you use syndication or tools like HootSuite to deliver content? Knowing where you've established a presence and how the sites relate to each other is a key step in setting up a content calendar. I'll get to that later.
BONUS TIP:Use a site like … (2 comments)
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social media: National Unfriend Day - 11/17/11 01:26 PM
Peanuts has always been one of my favorite cartoons. Today, with a little help from Jimmy Kimmel, they give their take on National Unfriend Day. Will you make the cut?
Click any of the icons below to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Have questions about Henderson or Las Vegas real estate? Call me any time at (702) 339-9700 or email JohnNovakLV@gmail.com.
… (13 comments)
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social media: Twitter Tips From Turtles - 07/02/11 02:32 PM
Remember about a month ago when a cobra escaped from the Bronx Zoo? Someone created a Twitter account (BronxZoosCobra) and quickly gathered over 200,000 followers to read about the cobra's NYC adventures.
Earlier this week a group of turtles made their way from a beach on Jamaica Bay to the nearby Runway 4 at JFK International Airport spawning a new Twitter account, @JFKTurtles. Here are some excerpts:
Besides being entertaining, @JFKTurtles garnered attention from major media outlets -- and Attention is the first part of the AIDA marketing model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). Sure, the turtles account may not monetize … (9 comments)
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social media: Winning Twitter Strategies - 07/01/11 07:50 PM
Can you land a $1 million buyer or list that luxury home with your next 140-character tweet? Probably not. But with the right Twitter tools and strategies over time you can successfully engage buyers and sellers in your market.
In 5 Steps To Becoming A Twitter Champion, Angela Maiers shares ideas on how to "gear up" to create effective content, along with tools to help you connect with others and measure your progress.
Read the full post at Social Media Explorer.
… (10 comments)
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social media: Happy Star Wars Day! - 05/04/11 03:56 PM
I was in high school in Menomonee Falls WI when Star Wars first hit the big screen in 1977. The adventures of Luke and Leia, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2D2 and C3PO, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers captivated audiences worldwide. Nearly 35 years later, Star Wars is still a part of American pop culture; on How I Met Your Mother, it's Ted and Marshall's favorite movie.
So how was today chosen for Star Wars Day? Well, it's May 4th ... May the 4th ... May the 4th be with you!
As part of this year's celebration, Star Wars … (9 comments)
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social media: Happy Foursquare Day! - 04/16/11 01:52 PM
Today is April 16 ... 04/16 ... four squared is sixteen, get it? That means it's a social media holiday - Foursquare Day! There are tweetups and swarms planned around the world, a great chance to meet other local online enthusiasts.
There is even a special Foursquare badge for the day. To unlock it, just check in anywhere and give a shout out to Foursquare Day using the hashtag #4sqday.
After a quick trip to the office for some REO paperwork, Shadow and I are headed to Heritage Bark Park (where I'm the mayor), and then might stop by the Las Vegas … (10 comments)
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social media: Styles Of Engagement - 01/27/11 11:11 PM
One challenge facing real estate agents who use Facebook and Twitter in their marketing plan is how to effectively engage their friends and followers. Finding the right mix of business value and personality can be tricky.
Do the elements of your business brand come across accurately on social media? In How To Pick the Right Social Media Engagement Style, customer engagement blogger Matthew Latkiewicz defines five ways to engage and gives examples of companies that make them work.
Understanding your engagement style can lead to more and better online connections. At a minimum, it will help you focus your message.
Read the full post … (7 comments)
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social media: Measuring Social Media ROI - 12/26/10 01:35 PM
If Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are part of your online marketing efforts, you've probably built up a good number of Friends and Followers. You update your status, share links and photos, tweet, retweet, connect. It's fun and enjoyable, but is it really a marketing activity or just a drain on your time?
In "How Do You Know If Social Media Is Working?", Spencer Johnson shows how to use Google Analytics to measure your social media efforts. Knowing your social media numbers and making just a few small changes in your strategies could produce big results in 2011.
Read the full article at Union Street … (9 comments)
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social media: ActiveRain Links Up With Zillow ... Maybe Agents Should, Too - 08/01/10 02:05 AM
I know that as soon as some of you saw Zillow in the headline, you thought or maybe even screamed "Zestimates® are terrible!" My feeling is any agent who really knows their market should have no problem discussing inaccuracies with buyers or sellers. Zillow even provides a link to an explanation of Zestimate® Values & Accuracy at the bottom of each page on their site.
This post IS NOT about Zestimates®. It is about consumer traffic. If you've been to RainCamp, you know that Zillow is the third most trafficked site for real estate. And recently they've partnered with Yahoo! -- the … (14 comments)
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social media: Now It's Official - 07/11/10 04:02 AM
Bob's Facebook page Christa's Facebook page
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social media: What Do Foursquare and Farmville Have In Common? - 05/31/10 10:11 PM
What Do Foursquare and Farmville Have In Common?
Both can be found on Time Magazine's "50 Worst Inventions" list, which Time says are "some of the world's bright ideas that just didn't work out."
I don't understand the long-term value of Foursquare, and was surprised when it was included in the social media portion of RainCamp. And while I was a fan of the original Sim City, Farmville never caught my interest but it continues to be one of the leading game applications on Facebook.
Are you on Foursquare? Can it have a positive impact on a social media strategy, or … (6 comments)
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social media: 10 Days of Outsourcing to Your Real Estate Virtual Assistant- Day 4 - 05/20/10 10:21 PM
Do you feel that social media should be a part of your marketing plan, but just don't have the time or skills to figure out all of the different sites and how to integrate them effectively? A virtual assistant like Laura Monroe with Creative Agent Solutions may be the perfect way to add leverage to your business and expand your online presence.
Via Real Estate Virtual Assistant Laura Monroe (Creative Agent Solutions.com (916)343-3823):
Delegating to a Real Estate Virtual Assistant doesn't have to be difficult or expensive! Welcome to Day Four of Outsourcing Ideas you can let your real estate … (0 comments)
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social media: The Real Estate Social Media Census - 03/13/10 10:52 PM
Which social media sites do real estate agents use the most? How often do they update their content, and how long do they spend per session?
These are just a few of the questions in the Real Estate Social Media Census. Everyone who responds by March 15 can receive a free copy of the results which should be a good guide for developing your online presence.
The census takes less than ten minutes to complete, and can be taken at www.SocialMediaCensus.org.
… (7 comments)
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social media: Learn How to Create a Facebook Fanpage: Video Blog - 02/26/10 01:33 PM
One of the popular social media strategies for real estate agents is to 'become the online mayor' of your neighborhood or community with a Facebook fanpage. In this short 5-minute video, Megan Faust shows how easy it is to set up a fanpage.
And if you're convinced of the value of social media in your marketing but just don't have the time or tech skills to do it, a social media virtual assistant might be the answer. Vist Virtu-Assist to see how they can help you build your online presence!
Via Megan Faust (Virtu-Assist):
So would you like to learn … (3 comments)
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social media: Bob Stewart On 'Art and Social Media' - 02/24/10 12:27 AM
"Why would anyone care what I'm doing?" That's a common refrain from those who are trying to understand the benefits of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. One isolated entry may have no meaning for us, but over time these little snippets of information combine to shape and color our perceptions of our online friends.
At the 2010 Keller Williams Family Reunion in New Orleans, ActiveRain's Bob Stewart participated on a panel led by AR's Ben Kinney. Here's his response to Ben's question "what's the point of all these updates?"
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social media: "Twitterville" by Shel Israel - Book Review - 02/01/10 06:49 PM
You can pack a surprising amount of content into a 140-character Tweet. As more and more businesses adopt Twitter as part of their social media strategy, Shel Israel shares his insights on how to leverage this platform in Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods.
With this review, fellow social media enthusiast Jason Crouch has inspired me to add Twitterville to my reading list for February. And if you find this book useful, I would encourage you to also take a look at a book on blogging that Shel co-authored with Robert Scoble, Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing The … (4 comments)
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social media: "Twitter's of no value to REALTORS®". Really? Try this. - 12/06/09 11:19 PM
As we build our online marketing plan, it's important to remember that social media can be a very effective listening tool as well as a means of getting our message out. In his post, Ian Greenleigh shares how Twitter can be used to research and listen for specific keywords.
For more innovative ways that real estate agents can market their properties, check out DriveBuy Technologies. a solution that uses text messaging to deliver home info to potential buyers.
Via Ian S. Greenleigh (DriveBuy Technologies):
It sounds like an odd thing to say, but in a way, Twitter is a lot like real estate itself … (20 comments)
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