marketing tip: Six items to consider to OPTIMIZE your Home Page for Search RESULTS! - 10/31/08 10:28 AM
Right to the point --
1 - Sell your main website to the consumer who is reading the page -- does the description of your website on the search engine provoke or urge the consumer to click on the page title to go to your website -- optimize this description to offer click-through appeal by selling the main search results to your reader.
2 - Get to the point -- keep your site simple and don't offer too much -- think about your specialty, think about what the consumer wants to do on your site -- too many options clutter the … (16 comments)

marketing tip: Find out how your website ranks on major search engines and learn how to improve your ranking - 10/31/08 09:47 AM
Websitegrader is a fantastic tool to evaluate your website for FREE.  Enter your website address and a FREE report will be generated and tell you what your "score" is from 1 through 100, 100 being best.  For example, Active Rain has a ranking of 95!
You will be provided with an analysis that can help you with easy to fix items that is under your control such as Meta description and keywords, The report discusses the importance of owning the domain for long periods of time, RSS and blogging on your page as well as bookmarks or links by others.
Have … (15 comments)

marketing tip: Longtime homeowners can be a resource for business - 09/25/08 06:13 PM
Here is a different angle working your geographic farm... Contact your local title company or go to popular data sites and request a farm within the geographic area you work.  Ask for all the HOMEOWNERS that have lived in their house for 25 YEARS OR MORE!
These homeowners are probably never going to sell and retire in the home
OR
They will eventually sell, retire and move somewhere and take advantage of their equity they have accumulated.
Get to know these longtime homeowners -- they know so much about the community, how it has changed, how it has grown up, how … (5 comments)

marketing tip: Add notes to your photos for FREE - 09/13/08 09:10 PM
You have to check this out -- You can now add photo notes to the bottom of your photos to tell the reader what they are looking at and the notes are below the photo and not on top of like a MLS watermark.
This Web site is really cute and I know you're going to have a ton of fun with it! This site allows you to upload one of your photos and then make it into a Polaroid style with text. And did I mention it's extremely easy to use and FREE!  Check out PhotNotes
First, you click the … (18 comments)

marketing tip: Tell Your Farm and Clients About Valuable Web Site Updates and Changes - 08/17/08 12:47 PM
You made a decision to include a professional web site in your technology plan.
I am sure you actively update the site REGULARLY.  Don't let it become stale -- post good content similar to what your doing with the Active Rain Blogs.  Freshness also helps with search optimization and getting you noticed.
Go one step further -- if you add a tool like the Zillow or Cyberhomes Co-Brand tools -- tell your farm area about the great content that they now have access too.  These co-brand tools bring sticky content where consumers want to come back and see their home values, … (4 comments)

marketing tip: Valuable exposure with shelf life can make an impact - 08/16/08 06:05 AM
Giving out flyers, post cards or business cards have a relatively short shelf life -- we all agree with that.  Therefore, do something different!
Use this tip whether your at an open house, door knocking, at community meetings or gatherings.
Print out all your information on a large label -- your photo, logo, branding, web site address, email address, phone number etc.  Take that label and wrap it around a bottle of water and now you have a walking brochure.
Give the bottles of water out on a hot day to those that visit your open house.  Something of value and … (11 comments)