image courtesy of GoogleMaps, Mueller Labs, and RErockstar.com
Introductions are in order.
First, let me introduce everyone that doesn't know him to Mike Mueller. Mike is (as he says) a "Social Media.ist" - he'd probably never claim to be an "expert" or "guru," but I would definitely vote for him as one of the top social media people who get it, love it, live it, learn it and teach it. Mike's been invaluable to me as I've been learning new things. Always one to comment on a new idea I have or tell me how I could improve something I've already done, Mike is always around to help you out. I think he may never sleep, which of course, means he's a vampire - but I haven't confirmed any of that yet, so let's keep that between you and me.
Some time ago, Mike introduced his Mueller Labs product called, Mueller Maps. The concept is simple, the results are powerful. By building a customizable map based off of Google's map, Mueller Maps allows you to place markers on the map which are links to more info. As you can see in the graphic above (a screenshot of the actual map at RErockstar.com), I have placed the blue markers in various places on the map. Clicking on any one of these will bring up a pop up that looks like this:
The How.
Inside these detail boxes you can insert just about anything you want. Mike and I opted for a "video" and "info" tab. Under each tab can be links, videos, photos - if you can dream it up, it can be put in there. Each piece of information is inserted using a simple Google Docs based spreadsheet, so once the map is built, editing and adding new map points is pretty simple. Once you get a bit of a template down, you don't need to do much more than cut and paste and then adjust a few pieces of information (the actual URL to your link, the video embed code, etc.).
I have made mine quite simple so far, in the video box is a link to a Flickr slideshow (I separate each community into a set and build a slide show out of that set), a link to "Learn More" and a link to "Homes for sale" in that neighborhood. The "Learn More" link goes to a blog post I wrote about the neighborhood and the "Homes for sale" link goes to my IDX-search on my website that takes them direct to a list of homes for sale in that community (see my previous article on "ARE-TEC IDX - How To Utilize Variables To Make Your Client's Experience Even Better" to see how easy this is with ARE-TEC). The info tab contains the same two links (I will be adding more in the future) with a still photo (also from Flickr), usually of the main entrance to the community.
The Why.
What makes these maps so genius outside of the fact that they look awesome and create an easy to use, visual presentation for your visitors, is that because you're trying to provide relevant links within those tabs, you wind up providing more content on local neighborhoods. I have written several well-viewed posts about neighborhoods now and I am seeing direct SEO benefits and home searches from it. By being forced to give a link in the each tab, I am forcing myself to write about what the consumer wants to hear. Local neighborhood info. In addition, because I'm using Flickr as the source for my photos, I am adding more photos to Flickr everyday (and Google loves Flickr). Most of my posts are right there alongside my Flickr sets for each neighborhood - in most cases giving me three results in a row in Google searches on any neighborhood (two for Flickr and one for the site - and if you visit the Flickr sets, you'll also get links back to my site - helps in building my site's authority).
With each additional post and map point, I am building serious community info on my blog and blogging more regularly. The more regular you blog, the more Google takes notice. Do you see where all this is going? I may not be #1, but you can't avoid my name (my last listing was given to me because when the seller performed different searches, they saw me everywhere - omnipresence is a good thing in real estate). The more you write about your local area, the more of an expert you become. The more of an expert you are, the more local buyers and sellers will take note.
The possibilities are endless.
While I've used mine to showcase neighborhoods, you can do anything with a Mueller Map. Schools, local hot spots, restaurants, your offices, your listings, local tourist attractions or a combination of all of these and more. It's all up to what you want to showcase and is only limited by your imagination. I have plans to eventually build a video archive of local places I like to visit - when I do, I'll build a completely different Mueller Map to showcase them. Think of the map as a visual representation of pages on your blogs - how can you map out your local content?
Of course, with all the work that goes into building one, you might expect to see a huge price tag attached to it. We're Realtors®, we get charged a fortune every corner we turn. The difference? Mike Mueller's not a guy looking to make a quick buck, he's actually someone who wants to see technology used as much as possible and will do what he can to make that happen. Guess how much one costs? Go ahead...guess. Nope, you're wrong - they're only $150. And Mike will work with you to get it to look the way you want and help get you started to entering your own new map points (once you learn it, it's easy).
Contact Mike Mueller today about building your own Mueller Map.
Check out my RErockstar.com Neighborhoods Mueller Map and see what you can do with one.
Still have questions? Contact Mike Mueller on Twitter.
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