While it was with every intention I planned on sharing this presentation at the RainStorm this past weekend, somehow my final decision to do so was influenced by the environment, the ambiance, and the folks I was fortunate to be surrounded by at the Ultra Heat Lounge in Anaheim.  There was a great line-up of speakers and topics, but at the end when it was my turn to present, I felt moved to share something a bit different.

So for those of you who came to "RainStorm" to hear the presentation about "Building Blocks for Better Blogs" and didn't get to, I decided to share it here instead, where there is likely to be less distraction and excitement from all the real life and in person social networking that was taking place in the nite-club style environment.  To those of you who couldn't or didn't make it, it was a great turn out and spectacular event.

Building Blocks for a Better Blog

Tips and Take-Away Overview

1. Make your Blog title, description, and URL Count.  Be descriptive, direct, and short as possible.
2. K.I.S.S. - Keeping It Simple Sells - Less really can be more in many cases.
3. Be There. Allow Questions, Chat, and Live interaction.  This is the best way to Capture contacts.
4. Content is always king. Give the greatest value possible to your readers and audience. Period.
5. Make sure you have some form of contact capture or what is the point of Blogging for Business.
6. Use a good CRM or contact mgmt program. To rely on your memory alone will cost you business.
7. Implement Inter-active value-added tools and widgets that update themselves and deliver content.
8. You're a consumer, so when building your Blog for Business, ask yourself what works best on you.
9. Some ideas and tools to provide a consumer that might be interested in buying or selling include:
    
     (Various Samples of FREE widgets, tools, and content to consider)
     a. Demographics and Local Real Estate data and information
     b. All the newest listings in the neighborhood or community
     c. Share the most expensive homes allowing your audience to dream
     d. Provide all the recently sold homes keeping it real for your buyers and sellers
     e. Give them tools to compare stats and areas, after-all they're going to live there
     f.  Let your readers search your area for "All homes for sale"
     g. Let them search other areas too so they don't leave your Blog to do so
     h. Using home value estimation tools will create digital handshakes and opportunity
     i. A virtual walk through the neighborhood with a "walk-score" makes an impression
     j. Providing Loan and payment data with the ability to compare is valuable and useful
     k. Provide a stream or feed of live and local news and your Blog will really kick butt

There's a sample Blog you can review at SFBayAreaBlog.com if you'd like to try these tools live and see how they work.  You can create and do the same here on ActiveRain, Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr, Posterous, etc.  The best part is that everything I've shared here is FREE and easy to do if you have the resources and knowledge.  Now you have the knowledge, and you'll always have me as a resource. :-)

Footnote:
My presentation at RainStorm was very short and simple.  All things are simply tools and a means to an end. Social media, the Internet, mobile technology, almost everything in your life online and off are just tools to help you cultivate and create relationships and build rapport and trust with people.  The greatest and most memorable moments in your life are built on emotions, passions, and connections. You can always use tools with people, but never use people as tools.

The GardenWalk (GW), near Disneyland of Anaheim, California, was developed to attract high-end shoppers and diners with fancy restaurants and retail shops, but the GW has failed to attract the attention it needs. The owners have just defaulted on a $210 million loan, still owing $188 million on the loan, with the GW now going into foreclosure. Negotiations are still in process, so no date of foreclosure has been set yet. The timing for opening the GW less then optimal, right at the genesis of the economic crisis of 2008, and is the blame for bad consumer response to the opening of the GW. Many factors played into the default: not enough publicity, inconvenient parking for shoppers and the delay in the construction of two nearby hotels. Projections are being made that in the years to come, with the completion of the hotels, new shops opening, better marketing campaigns and a hopefully rebounding economy, the GW will be the success it was dreamed to be. As for now, the owners will join the millions suffering the fate of default and foreclosure.

Looks like they were dreaming big when they drew these images of the future GardenWalk.

Re/Max of North Orange County - Ron Holborn - 714 (469) 8198

Search for Fullerton Real Estate at: www.northorangecountyrealestate.com

"WE SELL A HOUSE A DAY!" for more info: www.northorangecountyrealestate.com

 UPDATED BLOG

I'm getting anxious to go to the new theaters at the recently completed GardenWalk in Anaheim.  The new theaters include an IMAX and thirteen other different standard sized screens.  It has been open for a little over a week now.  Not all of the theaters are open yet.  What I'm really looking forward to is that one of the theaters, to be named Sky Lounge, will be serving up-scale appetizers and possibly alcolhol.  The owners are still waiting to hear if they will be granted a license from the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.  The city of Anaheim has already approved the license.  If approved, the theater would be the first in Orange County to sell alcohol.  The adult only lobby of this theater will give movie goers the ability to look into the projection room.  It will also have a balcony overlooking the soon to open Heat Ultra Lounge and floor to ceiling plate-glass walls.  There are seven screens still to be completed.  Two of these will have VIP screening rooms with 46 recliner seats each.  I think this would be a great place to entertain clients or even that extra hard working agent(s).

Search all Anaheim Foreclosures