The Power of Active Rain – Connections are made every day!

Lisa Udy asked in her blog post entitled The Power of Active Rain Contest that we put together a blog post to share the benefits and the Power of Active Rain.   It's funny because I didn't have to think long or hard on this oneat all and have been in the process of sharing this post with all of you to illustrate Lisa's point exactly and here's how I harness the Power of Active Rain.

Since joining Active Rain in August of 2008 my business has more than doubled and it has not only brought me new clients but friendships that go beyond what I could have ever imagined.

These friendships are not just casual friendships but people I can call on and depend on at any given time.

Whether I have a question about a tool that can be incorporated into my blog posts and I'm calling Brad Andersohn; or I am collaborating with Rebecca Levinson with either my new client or hers to establish best practices for marketing and social media; I'm talking and catching up on the phone with Jason Crouch, someone who since day 1 of joining Active Rain inspired me with his writing and since then has been a mentor to me in many ways by always encouraging me; or countless other examples of the great support you receive from members both online and offline.

I recently had two amazing experiences from my participation on Active Rain and these 2 experiences reinforced for me the Power of Active Rain:

Example 1 - Margaret Rome

Last Wednesday, I received a surprise call from our very own Margaret Rome.  The reason she was calling was because she was made aware of my blog simply by a comment made from another Active Rain member that was indexed by Google.  This blog post was from 2008 and she liked the post so much along with all the comments and interaction that came about from the post that she decided to call me directly to share how much she liked it.

I have three points to illustrate the Power of Active Rain and why I think being part of the Active Rain blogging community is important to your business and for those of you still on the fence about blogging here's what will happen to you:

The Power of Active Rain - Point 1

The Power of Active Rain - Point 3

It will bring you business.  Since I started blogging on Active Rain my business has grown by leaps and bounds.  Did it happen the first week I joined?  No, but it did happen in a relatively short time due to my efforts in sharing my experiences and advice via my blog posts.  I consider each and every one of my blog posts as my way of giving back to a community of members that gives to me every day - in sharing experiences, advice, and the education I receive from regularly interacting with members that speak and connect with me on things that are important and meaningful to me.  That is where the true value and Power of Active Rain comes shining through!

To this point above, I will share my second example.

Example 2 - The Somers Team

After being on the network for just short of 1 year, I attended my first RebarCamp that was held in Philadelphia.  There I was able to meet and interact with a few members that had been interacting and reading my blogs.  In particular it gave me the opportunity to meet and connect with The Somers Team. After that event I received a call and together Stephanie and I figured out how I could support their marketing efforts in a way that would allow them to put even greater focus and attention on their clients and grow their business.  Since August, we have partnered together to create even greater success for the Somers Team.  But don't take my word for it - visit their blog and see how they are harnassing the Power of Active Rain for their business.

Now, for the most part I work virtually and I will never really meet my client's face to face, except maybe on Skype, however, I am fortunate enough to have the Somers Team located just 25 miles south of my home office.  The Somers Team invited me to a local wine tasting and dinner last night in Lambertville NJ and it was so great seeing them again and furthering our connection.

Just having the opportunity to be around them I felt their energy and how they truly love what they do! Yes, Active Rain is what brought the Somers Team and I together.  Not just because we were part of this network but because we chose to interact and engage on this network and when they met me - they knew me and I knew them.  That is the Power of Active Rain.  Active Rain builds connections.

If you are new to Active Rain or you have not yet joined, I invite implore you to explore other bloggers on this network and you too will discover similar Active Rain Blogging Success stories to mine.  I am confident you will see great things happen in your business by joining and participating on the Active Rain network.   So just like Lisa Udy is challenging the members here to share their story in an effort to convince people in small towns around the country and specifically "Grace Idaho Real Estate Agent" about the Power of Active Rain;

I am challenging you to do the following 3 things:

• Use the search feature in Active Rain to explore for yourself some great topics (there's something here for everybody), bloggers, resources, and success stories. 
• Join the Active Rain community and grow your business in ways you never would have imagined.  I have proof in my business and the connections I have made that Active Rain works!  I invite you to call me or stop by my blog for some helpful marketing tips and leave a comment letting me know you're here - because everyone deserves a welcome and I want to know you're here.  
• Join, read, comment, connect and get comfortable -  you will find your blogging voice and know we look forward to hearing it!

I think there are some amazingly talented real estate professionals, bloggers and educators on the Active Rain network and something tells me that 172,436 members as of this blog post (and still growing) can't be wrong!  They are all harnassing the Power of Active Rain for their business and you can too!

In one of  Brad Andersohn's recent blog posts he shared something I think is worth rementioning:

"YOU have the power and ability to lead, motivate, inspire, and help other people.  YOU are making a difference in the world, in YOUR community, and in YOUR industry."  "YOU are a Rainmaker!"  Brad Andersohn

 To sum it up - there is without a doubt Power in Active Rain!

Feel free to share in the comments below (along with submitting your own post to the Power of Active Rain blog post content) the positive experience you've had by being a member of the Active Rain community - whether a friendship, business, education, referrals, indexing, or simply the great feeling you experience by interacting with like minded professionals.  I know my readers and subscribers will appreciate your thoughts and advice.

I also want to thank all those who stop by to interact on all my blog posts YOU are what keeps me here and coming back after my workload takes me away for periods of time.  Thank you!

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Other helpful blog posts on the subject of The Power of Active Rain and  making connections:

Advice for Consumers - Write with the consumer in mind.

Frequency is Key

The Helpers High

Marketing is a lot like exercising

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