I often get into discussions with agents who get frustrated with their blog site because they can’t think of anything to say. Actually there’s a lot that you can say and have fun with it as well. I have a video overview that you can see to get a feel for what this seminar is all about:
20 Types of Dynamic Blog Posts
Just follow any of these 20 dynamic blogging post tips and have fun with your blog site.
Quick. Who is the largest bookseller in the world? If you said Amazon, you’re right. But the key point is why. The largest bookseller for decades has been Barnes & Noble (established in 1873). Yet Amazon was only established in 1994 in Jeff Bezos’ garage. Why the huge surge in sales by Amazon? We call it the “Long Tail Theory”, based upon the book of the same name by Chris Anderson.
Wikipedia puts the explanation of the “long tail theory” this way: “The Long Tail or long tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the tail of a probability distribution than observed under a ‘normal’ distribution. This has gained popularity in recent times as a retailing concept describing the niche strategy of selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities – usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities.
In other words, because of store space, Barnes & Noble could only sell the more competitive or popular books. Amazon however realized that by using the Internet as a warehouse, they could pull from the most obscure books, thus giving them more sales.
How does this effect real estate agents and their website rankings? Consider the fact that you live in Denver, and you want to be found by the search engines under “Denver real estate” or “Denver homes”. The odds of this happening today are 23.8 million to 1 or 30 million to 1 respectively. However if you instead focus on the “minor” keyword phrases that are requested, you can much more easily get found on the 1st page of Google. For example “Denver luxury condos” is 1.92 million to 1 and “homes for sale in metropolitan Denver” is only 165 thousand to 1. While these numbers still may seem out of reach, we find with our firm anything within 3 million is easy to catch within a few months.
My exploration into using videoconferencing as a marketing tool for real estate has taken me down many roads. There are many products out there, including TokBox, DimDim, and Skype.
I like Skype. It makes me feel very “international!” Some of my clients are located overseas, and Skype is their product of choice.
In class, more and more of my students tell me they are using Skype to communicate with their clients across the country, and across the world. But, what is Skype
According to Wikipedia, Skype (pronounced /ˈskaɪp/) is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.
Speaking to some of my coaching clients, here are some business uses for Skype:
• Return long distance phone calls to clients
• Check your voicemail when you are traveling
• Make business calls from areas without cell phone coverage
What makes Skype even better is that it starts out free if the person you are calling also has a Skype account.
Video calls, like Skype-to-Skype calls are free, updating your clients is free, no matter where they are in the world. All you need is a webcam and software. You can start by downloading the software: www.Skype.com/download.
If we want to be successful with today’s buyer, we need to remember what is – and always has been – at the heart of the sale: People will only buy something from someone they trust. Only the methods have changed. If you can’t meet them face to face, webcam to webcam will have to do.
Skype options:
Skype-enabled audio and video are already infiltrating business settings, with users recording their Skype conversations and adding the recordings to their blogs as podcasts.
And the ultimate – the ability to see each others’ webcam, and, if necessary, to record the call. A great software at Pamela.org will enable you to do this.
Not too long ago I got a call from a very large franchise real estate company with a concern that I hear too often, “Our own agents are ‘stealing’ all our leads on the Internet. What do we do?” As is typical with large real estate companies and franchises, they are trying to be all things to all people. They cover such wide metropolitan areas, and, in many cases, they cross state boundaries, that they get crowded out by their agents who are more nimble and use more targeted approaches to getting found.
The Target Concept
The Target Concept is simple: stop shooting one arrow at the target, hoping to hit the bullseye, rather, shoot as many arrows as you can at the target and try to get as many groupings as close to the bullseye as possible. In other words, don’t try to get found by those tremendously competitive keyword phrases like “Denver real estate,” but by several minor keyword phrases that you can get on the first page of the search engines.
This is one of the few industries where the “worker” can actually take advantage of the boss by being smarter and more nimble. Try searches in your area for “Location real estate” and see how many of the major players are on the first page. I’ll bet there are a bunch. Now, try more targeted keyword phrases like “Location luxury homes for sale,” “short sale Location condos,” or “Location foreclosure properties.” You’ll find very few of the major players here, because they can’t cover it all.
Make Your Title STOP IT!
Did you know that there are many common words that the major search engines don’t even index because they are so common? I’m talking about more than words like “a”, “the”, and “my”. I’m also talking about numbers and words like “therefore”, “somewhat”, “Microsoft”, etc.
Why is this important to know? Because, “It’s in your title, Stupid”
Your title is one of the most important parts of your website. When you putgood keyword phrases into your title, they get picked up by those that are typing in a search term in any random order. In other words, your title of “My Denver Real Estate and Luxury Homes For Sale” fits perfectly with at least 30 different search phrases including “All home sales in the Denver real estate area.” Even though the words “all”, “in”, “the”, and “area” are not even in the title, they are “stop words” and not seen by the search engines. Further, the words “home” and “sales” can be interchanged with their plural/singular counterparts.
Target Your Prospect Searches
So, how do you know what your best keyword search terms are? Well, it would be helpful to know what your prospects are typing into the major search engines, and, of course, the largest search engine is Google. Google is highly invested in knowing how many people are searching what phrases. Best of all, they share this information with the public. This tool, called Google Adwords Keyword Tool is free and will concoct all sort of various keyword search just by putting in simple searches like “Denver real estate.”
Focus on these effective targeted keyword phrases, and you will be taking out those big, old, beasty lions in no time!
1. Lines and Linework
These terms refer to borders, frames, and rules, and do not refer to pen-and-ink or pencil sketches. Yes, I am talking about actual lines here. Horizontal or vertical, thick or thin, regular or irregular, they help define and delimit spaces around various elements on your pages. Good linework increases both the readability and “directionality” (see #5, below) of the design as a whole.
2. Shape
Most people don’t think about this, but any enclosed area, form, or contour in your design is a shape. Shapes in most layouts are square or rectangular, but nothing says they must be, and circles are useful, too. You can also use images to create other, regular or irregular, shapes. In addition to shapes, I’ll include here “white space”, or the lack of shapes. White space can be just as effective as lovely graphics and shapes.
3. Texture
One thing that custom sites have over the typical template design website is the addition of texture. Texture imparts a “surface” feeling, and is tactile in printed matter, so choosing the paper stock — matte, weave, coated, etc. — is a design decision, too. Textures on layouts meant for broadcast or the Internet are visual only, but still key. Most textures do not add to the drag of drawing the website, as most textures are implemented in “chunks”, or in pieces that are fitted together.
4. Color/Branding
Color and branding go hand in hand. You need to know what your colors and thus your brand is ahead of time, before starting on your website. Color is probably the element that most designers are at least acutely aware of, if not schooled in. However, color is not a requirement in many designs, and some art educators suggest creating a design without any color first. The artist, in this view, should then add only as much color as needed to enhance or complete the design. Another school of thought holds that color should be one of the first elements determined. Experience and experimentation will help every artist develop a good color sense and strategy.
5. Direction
Effectively designed layouts, in magazines or on your computer screen, usually have a sense of motion. A good design will lead the reader’s eyes through the design deliberately, using color changes, shapes, linework, and copy placement direct viewers’ attention to what the designer wants them to see.
Here’s a good test for your website, as well as others’. Open up your website and close your eyes while it is loading. Now, open your eyes and pay attention to a couple things.
You’ll need to be very practiced in this as your eyes will tend to race over the website. You should only concentrate on 4 or 5 main focus points. More than this will dilute your effectiveness.
Finally, pay attention to what your competition is doing and improve upon their design. It’s amazing how many good ideas you can get from your competition, and your sites will not even look similar if you are changing up your design elements.
How many of you have dismissed Facebook because you think that it’s just a time-wasting social swamp? Well, actually, Facebook has some of the most powerful business tools that you can imagine, if you know how to use them correctly. As a real estate speaker and dealing with real estate SEO on a daily basis, I can tell you that I have some powerful secrets to share for how to make your Facebook more “business friendly”.
Take a look at this introduction:
View more about “Building a Facebook Business” at www.webstarget.com/webinars
Even Oprah is doing it.
The discussion, the conversation.
That is my answer when people ask me why they should participate in social networking.
I was home one day a few weeks ago after a minor procedure on my eye, which required an eye patch. So, the only thing I could do was watch TV. I tried reading, working on the computer, it was a NO GO.
After catching up on all of the recorded TV shows that I had missed for the last month, I ended up watching Oprah. It seems that on Fridays, instead of one guest, she hosts an entire panel and they discuss all sorts of topics. They have a real conversation, everyone stating their opinion in a lively discussion.
Kind of like Twitter on TV.
The conversation is important. Since the creation of the digital divide (using the computer to communicate more and more, instead of face-to-face conversation), the fast pace of our busy lives prevents us from seeing as many people in person as we used to, and part of our relationships are taking place online. I recently read that Generation Y (18-32) will never lose touch with anyone in their lives. Think about it baby boomers, haven’t you secretly Googled an old flame to see where they are today? Not a problem with Gen Y, they grew with the conversation online.
When I meet someone in person, first of all they say that I look like my picture, and secondly that they know my voice, because they follow my posts on Facebook, Twitter, or they read my blog. They feel like they know me even though it is our first face-to-face meeting.
So, I encourage you to enter into the conversation. Choose one network, and be consistent. Just remember not to sell while you’re there.
Oprah does it … and, yes, I am recording her show now as well.
It’s 10 o’clock Monday morning – do you know where your company’s reputation is? As sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook become intertwined with business uses, real estate companies need to establish guidelines and best practices.
Whether we want to admit it or not, companies are learning that social networking, used properly, can be an effective business tool. We know by experience that having your sales associates involved in the community can enhance your company’s reputation and bring in more business. We are now embracing the concept that our sales associates can blog, tweet, and participate in forums and social sites and also increase business — so long as it’s done right.
But how do you monitor the conversation? You need a social media policy that explicitly lays out what is and isn’t permissible, both on the company’s network and outside of it if sales associates presenting themselves as representatives of the company.
If you do decide to take the “easy” way out and just block social networking sites at the company firewall, remember that what people post from home can still affect your company’s reputation.
How to get started
Consider creating a task force with people in your company who understand policy and procedures and others who are responsibly using social media. Together they can create a company platform. As always, before you can develop a policy, you need to define the company’s overall attitude toward social networking. A well executed social media strategy helps consumers and licensees follow an online dialogue protocol that shows promise of a successful outcome for consumers in real estate transactions. Create a statement that reflects the company’s mission statement and commitment to the consumer.
Social Media Tools To Monitor and Maintain Reputation Management Controls
Educate agents in the correct use of tools to avoid problems and pitfalls and, engage consumers in a fashion that will BUILD and ENHANCE a company’s reputation online. Remember to always reward responsible interaction online. If you can show examples of online fires doused as well as positive examples of building reputation online your sales associates will be better informed. Consider hiring a social media director for your association or your company.
Brokers and agents need to learn how to use tools to MONITOR their online presence.
Google or Yahoo alerts. Set up alerts based on your company’s name, principals’ names, etc. These alerts will send you an email every time one of your search words is found by the search engines.
Twitter Search
StepRep
Yelp
Here are some other reputation management tools to look at. They charge a fee, but will do the time consuming work for you.
Privacy Gurus
http://www.privacygurus.com/firm.php
Quality Service Certified
Incredible Agents
http://www.incredibleagents.com
Real Estate Ratingz