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marketing: I Thought Your Office Would Be Much Larger based on Your Internet Presence - 09/13/09 12:43 PM
I Thought Your Office Would Be Much Larger based on Your Internet Presence
Creating a strong internet presence through the use of websites (with good SEO), blogs (like ActiveRain and ActiveRain Outside Blogs) and posting your listings on other national sites, can help you reach more potential buyers and establish yourself as a local authority in real estate.
We had a buyer/investor from Texas contact us this week when he was in Missoula about looking at investment properties in the area. Kevin spoke to him on the phone several times about what types of properties he was interested in and they … (8 comments)

marketing: Still Think Social Media Is Just a Fad? Think Again. - 08/13/09 11:08 PM
Still Think Social Media Is Just A Fad? Think Again. This video shows the undeniable revolution that is happening with social media. Welcome to the world of "Socialnomics" : Thanks to David Gibbons for sharing this link on Facebook. … (5 comments)

marketing: 8 Ways To Use Photos To Promote Your Business Online - 08/11/09 04:07 PM
8 Ways To Use Photos To Promote Your Business - and best of all, most of them are FREE or LOW COST!
I didn't start out as a photographer, and I still wouldn't consider my photos "professional quality" although I see marked improvement each day. Since I've been in real estate, and especially since I started blogging, I have found that I really enjoy taking pictures of my community, events, and of course, of our listings. And, over the past two years, I have accumulated quite a collection of local photos on my computer which have been extremely useful for our … (141 comments)

marketing: What Type of Social Media User are You? - 07/13/09 11:09 AM
In her book, Groundswell - Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, Charlene Li defines six types of social media users and the percentage of users that fall into each group.
What type of user are you? What type would you like to be? Or, if you're like me, you're a combination of the types:
Creators 18%
  Publish Blog   Upload Videos   Write Articles Critics 25%
  Post reviews   Comment on blog   Contribute to forum Collectors 12%
  Use RSS feeds   Add tags   Vote for websites Joiners 25%
  Maintain profile   Visit social … (7 comments)

marketing: Is Social Media a Double Edged Sword? - 07/11/09 05:09 PM
We view social media as a critical aspect of our marketing strategy and focus a good deal of time and energy implementing our social media plan. This has generated new business for us, helped us make new friends, meet local business leaders, and is an enjoyable part of our day.
Social Media has become an inexpensive way to reach hundreds, thousands, and in some cases, even millions of people in an instant. This is great when you are broadcasting a new blog post to generate traffic to your website or announcing a new listing.
What happens when someone is dissatisfied or … (33 comments)

marketing: How Twitter Can Help You Sell More Real Estate Part 2 - 05/05/09 11:53 AM
How Twitter Can Help You Sell More Real Estate - Part 2 of a 2 Part Series
Yesterday I posted a Blog Post entitled, How Can Twitter Help You Sell More Real Estate Part 1 talking about how Twitter can be used as a tool in real estate to help develop and build relationships.
Part 1 Organize the Noise - addressed how to organize the noise on Twitter to make it easier to connect with those people you wish to connect, and how to follow conversations using Tweetdeck. Part 2 Engage and Be Engaging -  which is today's topic discusses the importance of … (6 comments)

marketing: Where Are Today's Real Estate Buyers? - 03/31/09 07:07 PM

The National Association of Realtors(R) published the results to their consumer survey in November.
The results to this survey are helpful when you are marketing a home for sale - who is your target customer for that property and how do you reach them?
When we first started in real estate, we did a lot of print advertising in newspapers and real estate guides and were unable to find a return on the significant investment we made. We now use a very strategic marketing approach to target where buyers are looking, with a primary emphasis on the Internet.
It's … (4 comments)

marketing: Why Do You Need a Tech-Savvy Realtor? - 01/26/09 10:21 AM
In today's highly competitive real estate market, it has become more important than ever for sellers to hire an agent who understands how to market their home on the Internet.
The day has come and gone for Realtors(R) who use old-fashioned sales methods in real estate - putting a sign in the yard, putting the property in the Multiple-Listing Service (MLS), running an occasional newspaper ad, and sitting back waiting for the phone to ring.
This method might have worked at one time, but no more. Consider these facts:
In every age group, newspaper readership is wayyyyy down. In the 30-45 … (7 comments)

marketing: The Most Comprehensive List of Web 2.0 Resources on the Internet - 01/23/09 07:02 PM
Now I work pretty hard to informed about technology, social networking, and web 2.0. It never fails though that when I spend time with my 14-year old daughter, she is always able to teach me something new.
Today we were talking about all of the sites available for Web 2.0. She directed me to a site that has an overwhelming list of links to Web 2.0 applications and services- Go2Web20.net.
Go2Web20.net was founded in 1996 and as of January 23, 2009, it contained a remarkable 2776 logos with links to the various sites!
If you click on the Select Tag at … (13 comments)

marketing: Do You Use Partnership Marketing in Real Estate? Share Your Story - 02/22/08 07:54 AM
Partnership Marketing is when local businesses work together to promote their businesses and share in the cost. Our local Chamber has had a series of presenters on the topic. One of the speakers was Jay Robson, Glacier Country's Tourism Person of the Year.
"Robson, who manages Dollar Rent-A-Car in Missoula, said his company's website at http://www.montanadollar.com/ demonstrates a wide range of partnerships with other tourism businesses.The site last year received 2.5 million "impressions"--qualified users visiting the site for nine minutes or more--attracted by the company's 30 marketing partners. For example, if you rent a car from Dollar, the site offers deals … (8 comments)

marketing: Our 100th Post and Our Favorite Things We've Found on ActiveRain! - 02/03/08 11:43 AM
Today is our 100th Blog Post! The Big 1 - 0 - 0. To celebrate we thought we would share some of our favorite things that we picked up on active rain:
Free marketing tips and samples at http://www.starpower.com/ and free forms for The Consultative Real Estate Agent at http://www.spartasuccess.com/ when you sign up for the free e-newsletter, and Mike Ferry at www.mikeferry.com.
Favorite Online Flier Site - http://www.postlets.com/ - great for posting to Craigslist and it syndicates your posting to backpage, googlebase, hotpads, kijiji, livedeal, oodle, trulia, vast, zillow and more. And best of all IT'S FREE!
Favorite Free Virtual Tour Site: http://www.flyinside.com/.
Favorite … (18 comments)

marketing: Making the Most of "Your Moments of Truth" - 02/01/08 12:32 PM
Moments of Truth occur anytime a client interacts with you, your staff, your materials, your ads, your website, emails, and your signs. Moments of truth can also apply to other agents that encounter you.
What is your moment of truth like for customers and potential customers?
When you or your staff answer the phone, does the customer hear a friendly voice of someone who is happy that they called? Or is it an irritation that they are asking so many questions?
Do you realize how much it costs for you to receive that call? If you count up your total advertising … (7 comments)

marketing: Marketing & Advertising a "Green" Home - 09/15/07 07:25 PM
Have any of you advertised on http://www.greenhomesforsale.com/ ? I found out about the website in a brief clip on NBC news tonight about green weddings and how green weddings are popular now and then people shop for a green home.
We have a beautiful home listed in Superior, Montana that is a "Green" construction and would like to get additional exposure to attract people interested in this kind of home. We placed an ad on greenhomesforsale.com for 90 days.
We're trying all of the traditional marketing tactics but want to expand our efforts. Do any of you have other suggestions for … (3 comments)