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Come Out On Top...Online!

By
Education & Training with MarQeteer

It's not rocket science.  It's easy.  All of you can do it.

Yet so many of you don't.

I'm a great believer in consistency.  I also believe in leadership by example.  And then there's serendipity, which brings us to this blog posting.

I teach my agents the importance of not just having a blog and a website, but the importance of being active online and keeping your online presence fresh.   This concept was never more clear to me than yesterday. 

I Googled my name yesterday and found out I'm a scientist, a university professor (for 2 universities), a professional soccer player, and a bicycle expert among other things.  I then Googled "mark boyd coach" and I was in the number 1 and number 2 spots...all because of my ActiveRain blog!

I bring this up for one simple reason...I've only had my ActiveRain blog for 4 weeks and I'm at the top of this Google search.  I didn't do anything out of the ordinary.  All I've done is at least one blog posting per work day.  Sometimes more than one, but consistently at least one.

Having a web presence takes consistency.  If you have a blog and it's not doing anything for you, look at the effort you put into it.  What you give is what you get.

If you have a website and it's not doing anything for you, look at the effort that you put into it.  What you give is what you get.

We're not talking about moving mountains, we're talking about making an effort to communicate with your audience/client base every day through your blog or website...or both.  If you do this, you can be at the top of the search engines, too.  Try it for the next 3 weeks yourself, then try Googling "your name realtor" or "your name agent" and see what happens.

I can't guarantee anything, but if I were a betting man I would bet you will be pleasantly surprised by the results.  The REAL secret to being on top online is to be active with your online presence.  Search engines love fresh material. Just be consistent.

And remember...if you do something every day for 21 days, it becomes habit.

Vance Shutes
Real Estate One - Saline, MI
Your Saline, MI Real Estate Connection

Mark,

It was through the Rain that I learned about Ziki.com.  It's a way to manage your internet identity, and, best of all, it's free!  After I posted myself on Ziki, I was able to keep a closer watch over my own online identity.

Feb 15, 2008 02:46 AM
Jeannie Kontis
Lancaster, PA
Shhh..... we don't want this little secret known to all the other local agents!
Feb 15, 2008 02:50 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County
Good advice. Consistent, persistent work is what the online presence is all about!
Feb 15, 2008 03:08 AM
Bonner Thomason
Keller Williams Realty - Kernersville, NC
CRS, ABR, GRI, e-Pro

Research helps to add fresh content. This is also part of the habit building that is needed. Getting feed back from consumers will add to the effectivness of a site.

Bonner

Feb 15, 2008 03:43 AM
Vickie Nagy
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate - Palm Springs, CA
Vickie Jean the Palm Springs Condo Queen
Great job! Glad to hear about your success. I am going to try to tighten up my own tags.
Feb 15, 2008 04:24 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel
Thanks for the reminder. I wonder if they have to be localism posts for google.
Feb 15, 2008 09:36 PM
Allison Gilmore
Kinder Reese - Frisco, TX
Great advice! It is something I definitely need to work on!
Feb 16, 2008 01:31 PM
Tracy Moses~Redefining LUXE~Staging ~ Decorati
Redefining LUXE - Mount Pleasant, SC

This is so true!  I am always amazed at how Active Rain effects google searches. 

Feb 16, 2008 11:23 PM
Renae Bolton
Marketing 4 Realtors - Garfield Heights, OH
I'm your Professional Real Estate Marketing VA!

Very true - consistency is key.  Question though...  Wouldn't it be even better to be found on Google in the top pages for your niche market rather than your name?  If someone is searching for a coach in Pennsylvania, they may not know that Mark Boyd is a coach.  Just a thought!

~Renae

Feb 17, 2008 05:01 AM
Lynn Johnson
Coldwell Banker Home Connection - Owatonna, MN
Owatonna, MN Real Estate
Mark - Glad to hear about your success.  It's so much like our business in general.  We get out of it what we put into it.  Having the site, or a blog is simply not enough.  Like you said, it needs to be improved and worked on consistently to provide value and interest for real estate consumers.
Feb 17, 2008 07:42 AM
Lanre-"THE REAL ESTATE FARMER" Folayan
Samson Properties - Bowie, MD
I don't make promises.I deliver results.SOLD HOMES

I am beyond grateful that I have found this great wonderful outstanding website called Active Rain. Active Rain put me on Google. I owe that to Active Rain. And to have a free tool like this and have real estate agents is something I just can't put my finger around. Great post. Much success to you.

Feb 22, 2008 01:06 PM