By now, I'm sure you've heard all about Twitter.  Even Oprah has hopped on the Twitter bandwagon and tweets regularly.  Thousands upon thousands of businesses have found major benefits in Twitter as well.  Here are a few simple and easy ways to increase your traffic from Twitter:

1. Include a link to your Twitter account on your blogs, website or any other internet materials you use.  There are several online resources that provide cute, free Twitter buttons to use for this.

2. Don't use up ALL 140 characters in a tweet.  You need to leave a few spaces for people to retweet your tweet if they find it retweetable.  A good rule of thumb is to leave enough additional space to accommodate your username plus 5 spaces.  Otherwise, someone who retweets your tweet will have to modify your original tweet to make it fit.

3. Make sure your Twitter presence is visible throughout your website.  Don't just set it in one place and forget it.  Adding it to your nav bar will make it eye-catching no matter what page a web visitor is on.

4. Add your Twitter username and web address to all marketing materials: business cards, signatures on emails and blogs, etc.

5. Use your own content for Tweets.  Simply retweeting will not get people to notice you.  You have something to say, so say it.

6. Tweet, tweet and tweet some more.  Actively engage with others on Twitter.  Just setting up a Twitter account is not enough.  You need to tweet with others to get a nice network going.

The bottom line is that you just can't pass up an opportunity to promote yourself.  And Twitter is a great way to do that.  By implementing these simple tips, you should see an increase in your traffic from Twitter in no time. 

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

My Active Rain buddy, Debra Walsh, posted this on my Bon Appetit group.  If you're looking for some great Thanksgiving recipes, downloard this FREE 56 page cookbook.  Thank you, Debra.

Have you ever thought about how YouTube can promote you as well as your business?  It's really quite easy and the YouTube account is free.  With millions of people accessing and sharing videos via YouTube every month, you would be crazy not to consider using YouTube for promotional purposes.  Here are only a few of the ways you can use YouTube to promote you and your business:

1. Personal Virtual Tours - While a "professional" virtual tour is really not much more than a bunch of still photos put together and set to music, you can be your own virtual tour director by doing your own walkthrough of a listing, providing your own narration and pointing out the most interesting features of the property.  You can make the video as long as you want.  But, try to keep it under 10 minutes for the best impact.

2. Promotional Videos - If you have hired a "professional" to create a promotional video of you, your business or your community or you create one yourself, YouTube allows you to upload it to your account, where it will provide an embed code for you to use this video on your blog or website.

3. Company-Sponsored Events - Is your company sponsoring a local event?  You can create a video to promote the event before it happens and also use footage from the event to show website visitors or blog readers what your company is involved with.

4. Testimonials - When you have helped another family purchase their dream home, whip out that camera and make a video testimonial of the happy homeowners in front of their new home discussing how they feel about using your services.

Using video is a great way to capture the attention of your website or blog visitor, keeping them on your site longer to encourage them to check other parts of your site or blog out.  You can also promote your video on several directories to get even more exposure.  There are countless ways you can use YouTube to promote you and your business.  You are only limited by your imagination.  If you have any questions, please contact me.  I'm happy to help.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

Many real estate agents provide their buyers with a Moving Guide. Sometimes they purchase the guide, Moving Daysometimes they write it themselves and sometimes they have an assistant put it together for them.

The Moving Guide usually contains basically the same thing:

• List of what to do a month, week and day before the move
• Printable labels for moving boxes
• Important phone numbers
• Map of the area
• Tips for Packing
• Tips for moving with children and pets
• Change of Address postcards
• Return address labels with new address
  

The list can be as long or short as the real estate agent's mind will make it. I have yet to see, however, a list that contains meal planning when moving. I have to admit, it's really not something that I ever thought of until I moved.

My move was made over a period of a week. So, the ever-popular pizza, burgers, tacos and other take-out got really old, really quick. I also found that I didn't always want to take time away from packing and moving in order to eat. One day, I only ate raisins. I don't recommend it.  The result was not pretty.

So, I thought of a great idea for adding to your Moving Guide - Moving Day Meals. You can create a list of easy-to-make recipes that can be frozen and then popped into the microwave. Offer suggestions such as keeping cold cuts, cheese, bread and condiments handy for quick sandwiches. Don't forget the snacks!

One of the most welcomed items in your Moving Day Meals packet would be a gift card to a local casual eatery. And, since I've recently experienced the stress of moving, I would suggest that the gift card be to a place that serves alcohol - lots and lots of alcohol.

Your buyers will thank you!

I get emails all the time with jokes and the inevitable, "Pass this on to ten people immediately or your dog will get warts" or some equally stupid message.  I don't expect you to pass this on (unless you just can't help yourself), just enjoy a giggle.

I was having trouble with my computer. So, I called Richard, the 11-year-old next door whose bedroom looks like Mission Control and asked him to come over.

Richard clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem. As he was walking away, I called after him and asked, "So, what was wrong?".

He replied, "It was an ID ten T error." I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired, "An ID ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again."

Richard grinned, "Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?" "No", I replied. "Write it down", he said, "and I think you'll figure it out."

So I wrote down, ID10T.

I used to like the little guy.

Carra Riley has written yet another insightful, information-packed blog that I think everyone can benefit by.

Thank you, Carra, for being so generous with your knowledge.

~Pamela

Studies have found that web-based tools drive business growth.  Even through the economic turmoil lately, small businesses are starting to see a turnaround and looking forward to a stronger period of growth in 2010.  Traditional marketing methods are still commonplace.  But, businesspeople who are expecting to grow their business in the next year are focusing more of their attention to online marketing.  What are the best web-based tools to use?  Email marketing, social media/networking and search engine marketing. 

1. Email Marketing - This includes newsletters, ezines and contact management.  It is important to use email to try to tap those potential clients.  But, it's equally important not to lose sight of those past clients who have brought you to the point you are today.  Contact management is key for this.  Providing up-to-the-minute information about the local real estate market through newsletters and ezines gives past, present and future clients a glimpse of your knowledge and experience.
2. Social Media/Networking - Gone are the days where the only people you meet and interact with are the people in your local community.  Social media has redefined "networking" on a global scale.  Networking with others on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc. allows you to reach out with other colleagues as well as current and potential clients.  This is especially important when you consider that the three major search engines (Yahoo!, Google and Bing) have determined that social media is so important, they need to crawl Twitter to keep up-to-date on the latest news.  Social media is not a fad...it's here to stay.
3. Search Engine Marketing - With more and more buyers turning to the internet to find their next home, you want your website to be the one they see.  Marketing your site to the search engines will help you rise in the searches for your relevant keywords and help drive traffic to your site and you.

In today's economic climate, it's important to use web-based tools to drive your business growth.  If you need help with your email, search engine or social media marketing, please contact me today.  We make it our business to make your business shine.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

In a continuing effort to keep my real estate clients and others "in the know" with the latest and greatest, I have stumbled upon a fantastic tool that Google has created to help make your website and blog even more visually appealing and engage your reader.  Have you ever wondered how you could use Google Maps on your website or blog?  Google has made it easy as pie to add a street map, satellite map or even a street view map of single and multiple addresses to your website or blog.  You can even create a widget that allows people to get detailed directions right to your office.

To create a map for one location:

1. Search for the location on Maps.Google.com.
2. Specify which type of map you want: Street Map or Satellite Map.  If you want the street view map, you can click on the Pegman icon above the map scale and drag it over to the address you want the street view of.
3. Click on the "link" tab in the upper right corner of the map. 
4. If you would like to customize the size, you can click the "Customize and preview embedded map" link located directly below the html code.
5. Copy/paste html code into blog or website.

To create a map for multiple locations (great for pointing out sites of local community interest):

1. Login to your Google account.  If you don't have a Google account, you can create one for free.
2. Go to Maps.Google.com.
3. Click on the "My Maps" link located directly below the Google Maps icon on the left hand side of the screen.
4. Click the "Get Started" button located below the video tutorial.
5. Click on the little blue balloon icon located in the upper left section of the map.
6. Place blue balloon icon where address of 1st location is and click left mouse button to set it.
7. Name the icon and add description.
8. Repeat steps 5-6 for remaining locations.
9. When finished placing all locations, click "Save" and "Done".
10. Click "Link" tab at upper right hand corner of map.
11. Follow the rest of the steps in creating a map for one location above.

To create widget for clients to get directions to your office (or open house):

1. Go to Google Maps' landing page.
2. Click "Add gadget to your site" button.
3. Type in the end address (either your office address or the address of the open house) in the Gadget Settings area.
4. Customize display settings if necessary.
5. Click "Preview Changes" button to make sure it looks alright.
6. Click "Get the Code" button to get the html code for your blog or website.
7. Copy/paste html code into your blog or website.

Any of these maps can be used in a variety of ways for so many different things on your website.  Use the multiple location map to show where ALL your listings are located, create a walking tour of local attractions or even list the best dining/shopping, etc. in the area so that you REALLY look like a local expert.  The directions widget will help anyone be able to find your office or open house without any trouble at all.  Let me know if there is anything I can help you with.  Google Maps can be of great use on your website or blog.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

Realtors - Do You know the Answer to this Dilemna?

It's official - I'm moving. It's something my husband and I have been comtemplating for several months. Since I'm not a huge fast food fan, I was wondering about easy make-ahead meals that we could make while in this transition. Going to a dine-in restaurant takes too much time. So, that's ruled out, too.

To find answers, the first thing I thought of was realtors. Surely, I'm not the only person a real estate agent has worked with who wondered about this. Sure, there's lots of other stuff to handle, utilities transfers, packing up (for me that includes moving an entire office), moving, change of address, etc. But I think this might be an area that's been overlooked.

Can you help?

• Have you created a Moving Tips Report that includes the mealtime dilema?
  
• Do you have a recipe or two that would make a move a little easier?
  

 I think Realtors are really smart and creative. So, I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you and Bon Appetit!

Can you hear it?  "Bing!"  That's the sound of the lightbulb going off over Microsoft's head.  Microsoft has recognized the power of social networking.  This computer software giant just announced that it will start adding status updates from both Facebook and Twitter in real-time to its own search site Bing.  Google has already responded by announcing that they, too, have signed a deal with Twitter to index updates in real time on their search site.

Twitter has begun to gain a valuable reputation for its use of real-time information.  Many times, news breaks first on Twitter before it even hits the major news sources, which is well ahead of search engines chiming in.  Yahoo! has seen the value in Twitter updates.  It created TweetNews, which ranks its news stories based on real-time posts on Twitter.

It's nice to see that the search engines are beginning to understand the importance of social networking.  I'm still baffled by those in the real estate industry that don't see what a valuable tool this is.  Don't be left behind.  Let this be your "lightbulb moment".  Get onboard the Twitter train today.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!