In the course of receiving and sending real estate referrals, I've seen a lot of agent behavior which suggests that a pretty large percentage of agents have had little or no training about how to send a referral that results in a positive experience for the clients they are referring. And I've also come to the conclusion that if the sending agent isn't willing to at least interview a handful of agents in the state and city (or town) where the referral is being sent, that sending agent isn't doing … (1 comments)
Looking back over the year 2011, it's appropriate that we recap the year. As a part of that recap, I wanted to list what I considered to be our most thought-provoking (and most read) ActiveRain posts of the past year. Here's my list:
I read a recent post on ActiveRain where the author suggested something that would improve SEO. And midway through the string of comments, one commenter began disagreeing with the post, saying that someone she greatly admires who is a "superstar" said this SEO strategy is a bad idea. This commenter wrote "I hang onto every word of his opinion" (referring to her "superstar"), and so she "immediately" took steps to follow his advice to the letter. … (2 comments)
The economy is flat and everyone is waiting for it to get moving again. So I fully understand the need to trim budgets and save money. That having been said, I see some agents cutting back on marketing. To me, that's the wrong place to conserve money. In a challenging market, the last thing you should do is cut back on marketing or advertising. It's a time-worn adage that tough times are when you should be doing more advertising, not less. This was certainly true during the Great Depression, when statistics showed that … (2 comments)
My journey through ActiveRain has spanned four years, with profiles in two states (Minnesota & Wisconsin). And in that time, I've managed somehow to accumulate a total of almost 425,000 points. I've written 712 blog posts on AR and those posts have received over 6100 comments. And somehow, I've managed to get featured sixteen times. An old ActiveRain friend messaged me a few nights ago, asking why I had divided all those points between two states, using two profiles. From the beginning, I made … (2 comments)
activerain: Is It Time to Fire Your Broker? - 03/20/11 11:48 PM
IS IT TIME TO FIRE YOUR BROKER? This post is more than just commentary. It happens to be a reply to a friend in the industry, a friend who has shared with me some experiences with a broker who has been less than supportive lately. My friend has been criticized for blogging and social networking, by a broker who tells my friend that "face time" is "a lot more important than all this blogging and social networking". My friend has actually been pretty successful lately, with several closed sales in the past two or three months and a regular … (159 comments)
Most of us know where we stand when we run a regular keyword search for our service area, our name and our real estate company. Depending on whether you are an independent broker/owner or an agent, those results become a major part of our marketing goals and Web strategy. But what about your ranking on Google Images? Have you checked to see where you rank in an image search? The results can be surprising. And photos or images can make a difference on your overall page rank, as well as the ability … (19 comments)
Most real estate professionals tend to concentrate on building their own individual online identity (or if you're an independent broker/owner like me, building an online company identity). There's nothing wrong with that. When they can find you, they can find your listings and learn about your services, right? But what about building a massive online identity for your listings? What better way is there to get your properties out in front of the public? And there's nothing that demonstrates more clearly to your sellers that you are giving them online exposure … (82 comments)
Among many others, I met Kerrie Greenhalgh, Bob Stewart (and his lovely wife), Eric Bouler, Missy Caulk, Debe Maxwell, Brad Anderssohn, Brian Copeland, Lisa Heindel, Amanda Hall and Amy Hahn. One of the best parts of my evening was chatting with Debe Maxwell and later with Kerrie Greenhalgh. Meeting quality people whom you admire and whose writing you enjoy is an … (3 comments)
activerain: "Stop the World, I Want to get Off" - Is New Technology Coming at you too Rapidly to Keep up? - 10/24/10 11:35 AM
Lately I've noticed quite a few posts on ActiveRain about "too much new technology" and "too many gimmicks and gadgets". A post I wrote about QR codes even drew a couple of pretty strange comments about an Orwellian conspiracy to tattoo bar codes on the arms of Americans. In another post I just read on the same subject, the author wants someone to "prove it to me that this technology is worth using". Here's the way I look at it: IGNORE GOOGLE AT YOUR OWN PERIL. Google is invested in QR Code technology. So is RealBird. Apple is promoting it with several iPhone Apps specifically created for … (8 comments)
activerain: Google has Embraced QR Code Technology - Will ActiveRain Follow? - 10/22/10 01:53 PM
You've probably noticed a growing amount of attention being paid to the use of QR Codes in real estate. QR codes are simply an adaptation of the bar codes found in stores which are scannable and which may convey a huge amount of information in a small space. A QR Code may be used to drive prospects to your Web presence, whether that happens to be your website, a real estate virtual tour or a YouTube video of a listing. QR Codes are popping up on business cards, brochures and flyers, lawn signs and anywhere a smartphone user might see … (5 comments)
activerain: Fifteen Ways to use QR Codes to Enhance your Real Estate Marketing - 10/20/10 06:01 PM
Yesterday, an ActiveRain member read my post about the new RealBird feature that enables users to download scannable QR (Quick Retrieve) Codes for each of their property listings. That member asked me "what can I do with these codes?" and wondered aloud if they are just a "gimmick". The iPhone and Android phones are capable of scanning and reading these QR codes. With a handheld smartphone that has this capability, a consumer can scan the code and view a virtual tour of a property listing in seconds. So, in response to those questions, I've put together a list of things you can … (13 comments)
activerain: How to Make Every Photo, Every Image into a Link - 09/29/10 11:13 PM
This is another one of those posts which deals with the obvious. But I've been reminded once again that the obvious to some is not obvious to others. In my most recent post, I wrote about the wisdom of using Google Alerts to track your Web presence, http://activerain.com/blogsview/1886082/why-aren-t-you-using-google-alerts-to-track-your-presence-on-the-web- While I was teaching a pair of blogging courses at the Wisconsin Realtors Association Annual Convention yesterday, I learned that most of those in my classes had not heard of Google Alerts, hence the blog topic above. Now I'll turn my attention to something else that I noticed quite a few bloggers forget … (15 comments)
activerain: Has "Everyone" Seen Your Listings? - 09/24/10 09:24 PM
Since I work in two states, I have broker friends on both sides of the border. And brokers do commisserate from time to time. They compare notes and complain about the slowness of the current real estate market. So it came as little surprise when a broker colleague with another firm called me the other day to cry on my shoulder a bit. It seems he's frustrated with a particular listing that won't sell. At one point in the conversation, he said "I just don't understand why my listing won't sell. Everybody's seen it!" Everybody? Okay, how good is your marketing … (5 comments)
activerain: There's Still a Fair Amount of Slop on the MLS, Regardless of all the Rules and Regulations - 09/18/10 10:14 AM
A simple MLS search yesterday reminded me that there is still a lot of erroneous and useless information being uploaded by agents to our Northstar MLS system. Take for example, the listing which reads "Fireplace - None" and then on the same line "Location - Lower Level". How about the listing which reports the home's square footage as "1"? Or the "Driving Directions" in one listing which state "see map". There are, as always, the bad photos, the really bad photos and the utterly useless photos. There are nonexistent photos in some listings. And there are listings with two or perhaps … (2 comments)
activerain: My 507th ActiveRain Post - 09/16/10 10:54 PM
I just took a peek at my statistics for my two blogs on ActiveRain. It's funny that I didn't notice the landmark, but I just passed the 500 post mark. I've put up 278 ActiveRain posts on my Madeline Island Real Estate Blog in Wisconsin to date. And I've also posted 228 times on my Lake Minnetoka and Twin Cities Luxury Real Estate Blog. Other than a hiatus that lasted maybe four or five months, I've stuck with it pretty consistently when it comes to blogging. I've blogged in my car, on a boat on Lake Superior and from the NAR Midyear in Washington D.C. … (11 comments)
Related Links:
Eric Kodner, Wayzata Lakes Realty - Twin Cities, Madeline Island Real Estate
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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