Archive for the ‘ARCHIVED POSTS’ Category
Boost Your Real Estate Marketing Strategy in 2012!
Friday, December 23rd, 2011December is a great time to start thinking about your goals for the next year – especially when it comes to your real estate marketing strategy. You tried a lot of new things in 2011, with some of them working and some of them dwindling. With New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day on their way, it’s time to start looking back on 2011 and evaluate what worked and what didn’t, and what you will do to reach better results in 2012.
Nearly half of the United States population will make a New Year’s resolution, but only 8% will be successful. Which category do you hope to fall under in 2012? Your real estate virtual assistants want you to be successful with all of your endeavors. That is why they are always staying on top of what’s new and innovative within the technology and social media world. With these fresh marketing tips, you’re bound to be among the “succeed-ers.”
Focus on Your Goals: Create a plan and stick to it. This is the best way to generate results. If you veer off your path, chances are your goals will fall off, too. Take the time to really think about your strategy and determine what your main goals are. After you set your goals, figure out what steps you need to take in order to achieve them, and what tools you will need to see the results. Setting a deadline or mapping out a timeline will also help you stay on track, and keep you motivated
during a time crunch. Last but not least, figure out what your expectations are. While it’s always great to keep a positive attitude, setting over-the-top expectations might only lead to letdown.
Keep on Keepin’ On: It’s no secret that things may not always go as planned. You know what they say…When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Even when your best, new idea is generating less-than-favorable results, don’t give up. Finding the best marketing tools takes time and investment, and you most likely won’t see results overnight. Keep on pushing for what you really want. Sometimes drive alone can give your idea that extra kick it needs to be successful. Keep on focusing on your target audience with innovative, fresh and engaging material. If you’re stuck on this, your real estate virtual assistant team can help you come up with some ideas.
Keep Track of Your Results: Whether you’re bringing back tools from 2011 or embarking on a new journey with resources of 2012, make sure you have a way to gauge the progress. If you’re not keeping track of your results, you may be exerting effort into a tactic that was never successful in the first place. There are TONS of tools and strategies within the world of technology, so if something isn’t working you might as well know so you can move on! Your real estate virtual assistant can help you determine the best way to track your efforts and help brainstorm appropriate changes when a particular strategy just isn’t working out.
Create a Buddy System: The Three Muskateers. The Fantastic Four. There are plenty of fictional and real life examples that show having a team plays a tremendous role in the success of a business, company or individual endeavor. If you already have a team, that’s great! Being surrounded by those who promote your ideas and success is key. If you are currently going at it alone, this doesn’t mean you have to go out and hire a team of professionals. However, it is encouraged that you reach out to people who have your best interest, or who you can seek advice from when needed. Having a real estate virtual assistant is great moral support. Not only do they have your back 24/7, but they can also take on any of your day-to-day tasks so you can focus on the BIG things.
Now that you’ve gotten some tips on how to be successful in 2012, it’s time to get out there and make it happen! With your eye on the prize and your real estate virtual assistant at your side (or on the other end of the phone/computer) you have the power to be unstoppable. Take your marketing skills to the next level in 2012!
Have an awesome day!
Contact Carrie
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Are You Prioritizing Community or Content?
Friday, December 16th, 2011When you look at the words “social media” separately, it’s easy to know what each word means by itself. The word “social” means to engage or interact with other people. The word “media” can best be described as a mea
ns of communication, whether you do so through words, pictures or video. When you put the two words together, what comes to be is a combination of content and sharing. You want to provide quality content to your community, but you also want to make sure that you’re getting engagement from that content. This is where many real estate agents miss the mark.
Real estate virtual assistants have set up and implemented many social media strategies for their clients. They set up and enhance each profile so that it incorporates all of their important information and is rich with their keywords. They also post content to the wall each day. What’s important about what they do is that they also take things to the next level. They encourage interaction and engagement with an online community.
Many real estate agents are afraid to take this next step. They want their page to be a resource rich with information and useful knowledge for their community. This is great, and it’s definitely important to incorporate on your profiles, but it’s not the point of social media. The point is to interact, engage, and be social. You want to foster an environment where people will want to comment on the content that you post and contribute their own ideas. This is how you get interaction on your page, and this is how you start building relationships with clients and converting a Facebook fan into a lead. That’s why this week, my advice is this: prioritize your community over your content.
Don’t get me wrong, you should still post content to your page nearly every day. Consistency is imperative to getting interaction. What I mean by prioritizing community over content is to switch up your posts. Instead of posting stats every day or regurgitating community article after article, use some of the ideas below to engage with your community and get more interaction…you know, be social on your social media site. Here are a few ways to get your community involved:
Run a contest. People love free stuff. Whether it’s a gift card or a batch of Christmas cookies, running a contest on your page with the promise of a prize will boost your interaction and get the conversation going. Think about it: nobody wants to be the first one to comment on a page. If you run a contest, then people will feel more comfortable posting on your page and interacting with you to get the prize. Going forward, they’ll be more comfortable interacting without the incentive.
Post about hot topics in your community. While you want to steer clear of controversy, there’s nothing wrong with getting a healthy discussion going on your page about a hot issue. You don’t have to stick to the cookie-cutter real estate article or weekend events posts. You can dig a little deeper and post something that many people are discussing at the moment and ask for feedback. If it’s a hot topic, then people will undoubtedly want their voices to be heard. This will also keep people interested and engaged in your content, which is important to fostering an online community.
Share pictures and videos, not just articles. If a client of ours ever sends photos, we immediately put them up on Facebook. People don’t always want to take the time to read a full article you post on your Facebook page. Clicking through a photo album or watching a short video is much faster. Utilize visual content, and we can practically guarantee that more people will be viewing your page. Photo and video content is far more popular than article-sharing, so make sure you include that in your day-to-day postings.
Keep the comments going strong. Even if you skip posting something new for the day, you should still spend some time going through and commenting on other people’s status updates and keeping the comments on yours going. There’s more to being active on social media than posting daily. You need to be completely engaged. Nobody is going to want to comment if you aren’t responsive or fostering a conversation, so prioritize commenting on your list of social media initiatives.
The common theme amongst these tips is this: put community over content. While it is important to offer valuable information on your page, it’s more important to engage with your community. You can have a page full of amazing status updates, but if nobody is commenting on them, then your goal isn’t fully being reached. It takes time to get people commenting on your page, but if you make it a priority to get and engage with an online community, then you’ll find that this will work well for you.
If you need any help getting set up on various social media sites, feel free to contact your real estate virtual assistant for help! They are always willing to give you advice and let you know what you need to be doing.
Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
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The Foundation for Successful Marketing for 2012
Friday, December 9th, 2011
The beginning of a new year can be very inspiring as it offers the opportunity to implement change. If you’re thinking through ways to really make your real estate business stand out in the coming year, there are a wide variety of ways to do so! From social media marketing, creating videos and a customized YouTube channel, real estate blogging, enhancing your website and networking; your options are nearly limitless!
Yet at the core of all of your marketing, and even at the core of your company, there needs to be a solid foundation of your brand. Defining the brand of your company forces you to think through questions such as:
- What is the mission of my company?
- How do I want others to view me and my services?
-What is most important to my clients?
- How do I want to run my company?
Using these questions as a jumping off point will help you discover your brand and establish a base for the new year and will be a building block for many years to come!
A recent article by John Williams, an advertising guru who’s created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies such a Mitsubishi, pointed out eight effective ways to build your brand. Of course, I tweaked them for real estate, but the basic points work in creating a top notch brand for any company.
1. Get a great logo- Place it everywhere. If you don’t yet have a logo, or you’d like a professionally designed logo customized to your business; let us know! Our design team would love to work with you to create a logo that’s uniquely yours and that helps you stand out!
2. Write down your brand messaging- What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Every employee and agent in your company should be aware of your brand attributes so they can better portray them to clients.
3. Integrate your brand- Branding extends to every aspect of your business such as how you answer your phones, what you or your agents wear to meetings and open houses, your e-mail signature, everything.
4. Create a “voice” for your company that reflects your brand- This voice should be applied to all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and off. Is your brand friendly? Be conversational. Is it ritzy? Be more formal. You get the idea.
5. Develop a tagline- Write a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand.
6. Design templates and create brand standards for your marketing materials- Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. You don’t need to be fancy, just consistent.
7. Be true to your brand- Clients won’t return to you, or refer you to someone else, if you don’t deliver on your brand promise.
8. Be consistent- This point is last only because it involves all of the above and is the most important tip. If you can’t do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.
Putting these eight rules for branding into practice for 2012 is a great way to build the foundation of your real estate business! Even if your company has been in existence for some time; if your brand has been pushed to the wayside, it’s time to create a fresh start!
Now it’s time to get started in creating your brand that will establish your company and act as the launching pad for years of success!
Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
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Increase Blog Traffic With Groupon’s Referral Widget!
Friday, December 2nd, 2011When fans visit your blog, wouldn’t it be cool to offer them a fun incentive to keep them even more engaged? With Groupon’s new referral widget, you can! By adding the Groupon Referral Widget to your blog, visitors will have a chance to take advantage of your city’s daily deal provided by Groupon. For every Groupon purchased from your blog, you will receive $10 that will go directly into your Groupon account! Pretty neat, huh? You give 
a little and you get a little, what a great compromise.
For those of you who don’t know, here’s a little information about the fast-growing business known as Groupon. Groupon is a popular business that works with other businesses to offer local deals across the country. From food, shopping, entertainment, pampering and more, Groupon’s possibilities for sweet deals are endless. The deals usually range from a 50-90% discount, and reach subscribers via email or smart phone notifications. Groupon has helped thousands of businesses gain new customers and is the fasted growing business ever, and now they could help you, too!
Your virtual assistants want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your social media efforts as engaging and enticing as possible.
Whew! Now for the fun part. To add this useful, fun and creative widget to your blog, follow these simple steps. Your readers will be happy you did!
1. Go to www.groupon.com. If you’re already a member, sign in with your login information. If you’re new to Groupon, the site will automatically prompt you with questions about your location and interests.
2. Once logged in, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Groupon Referral Widget.” You will be brought to the Groupon Referral Widget page with the featured local deal in the top right corner. You may be tempted to purchase the featured deal, but keep on going. This won’t take long!
3. Under “appearance” select how you want the widget to look on your page. You can choose a color for everything down to the color of the price tag of the Groupon. As you are choosing your options, the featured deal to the right will update so you can see a preview of how it will appear on your page.
4. Select your location. While Groupon can automatically detect where visitors are coming from, you can select a specific location for your widget. By selecting a specific location, only deals in that area will appear on your page.
5. Enter your referral code. At the bottom of this page on the left hand side you will see the link “Get my referral code!” Click this and enter the code in the box where prompted. This will allow you to receive the $10 every time a Groupon is purchased from your page.
6. Generate your code. Click the “Generate Code” button and voila! Copy the code and paste it into your blog. For a WordPress blog, follow these instructions. For a Blogger blog, try these. About.com is great place to find step-by-step instructions for adding widgets to most blogging platforms.
Thanks to this awesome widget, you now have another way to drive more traffic to your blog!
Have an awesome day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
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7 Signs You Need a Break!
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
With the holidays just around the corner, many of you are probably looking forward to a much needed break! Whether you’re gathering with family or friends, or are just craving a few days of personal R&R, having a little time to switch gears and turn off the noise of work can be just the thing you need to get refreshed and ready to go for the new year.
Now you may be one of those real estate agents that thinks, “Take a break? I wish!” As Real Estate Virtual Assistants, we know that there’s a lot of hard work and endless hours that you as real estate agents put into your company. If you own your real estate company or are with a very small firm, you probably feel the extra weight of keeping the momentum going, and a break seems out of the question.
However, not taking time off can hurt you more in the long run! If you get to the point of being burnt out, you’ll have to take a much longer time off in order to recover and your business, co-workers and even family and friends will suffer. So, how can you tell it’s time for a break? Here are seven key signs:
1. Loss of Joy- If the job you once loved and were passionate about is now becoming a dreaded part of your day… you need time away from it. Being passionate about your job, especially in this line of work, is imperative! Your clients will notice and your work will clearly reflect your passion, or lack thereof!
2. Lack of Focus or Creativity- It’s impossible for anyone to run at full speed all the time. When you notice you’re not able to focus and solutions to problems seem to allude you; you need a break! Give your mind a rest and you’ll find a much more productive you when you return!
3. Constantly Feeling Overwhelmed- As a real estate agent, there seem to be a million things demanding your attention at the same time. High maintenance sellers, first time home buyers, showings, marketing, social media, networking events, etc… the list appears endless! If you’re feeling buried under the weight of all these things and are having a tough time prioritizing… take a step back! Take the time to look at your business from a distance and you’ll feel more in control.
4. Irritability- We all have off days where we feel on edge, but if you’re feeling this way on a regular basis it’s a good sign you need a day off. Whether it’s related to stress, depression or worry; your irritability can have an effect on your co-workers and clients. Be sure to take a break before you burn bridges!
5. Insomnia- Sleep is essential to keeping a fast paced and high demand lifestyle. If you’re finding it’s hard to fall asleep at night, getting fresh air during the day, sunlight and even exercise can help get your inner clock back to normal sleep rhythms. Take a personal break to do these things on a daily basis!
6. Health Issues- A good sign that you need a break is when you begin developing health issues. Hopefully you’ll see warning signs and take a break before this occurs, but many people will ignore the red flags until it’s too late. Stomach issues, regular migraines and not feeling well on a regular basis may mean it’s time to visit your doctor. Chances are, they’ll prescribe a much needed break!
7. Warnings from Family and Friends- If those that know you best and are around you the most are concerned you’re overworking yourself; take note! They may see the warning signs before you do and can be that voice of wisdom that you need to heed! They’re looking out for your good and it’s important to not ignore their sound advice.
I hope that you take the time needed this holiday season to relax and enjoy being with loved ones! This is a great time of year to unwind and take in a few personal days so that you can hit the ground running in 2012!
If you’re worried about the amount of work that seems to be piling up and feel that you can’t take a break with all there is to do; let your Real Estate Virtual Assistants know! They can cover your listing marketing, social media,website maintenance, print marketing, real estate blogging, and much more! Take that much needed break this holiday season and rest assured your work is in good hands!
Contact Carrie
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Create a Branded Google+ Page!
Friday, November 18th, 2011The long-anticipated day has finally arrived: you can now create a Google+ page for your business! They are called “Branded Google+ pages”, and they are not only very easy to set up, but they’re also another way that you can truly expand your online presence. As real estate virtual assistants, we like to keep you in the loop about the latest technology updates, so when we saw that Google+ rolled out this new feature early last week, we immediately created a branded Google+ page of our own.
We know what you’re thinking: yet ANOTHER profile for me to maintain? Trust me, I understand. It seems like technology is changing every day, and who really has the time to maintain all of these aspects of your social media presence every day? Despite this sentiment, these new Google+ pages are necessary. They’re taking all of the SEO benefits that Google+ provides and taking it to your business. If you haven’t already created a branded page, now is the time to do so.
• Go to http://plus.google.com and log in to your Google+ account. If you don’t have one, you’re going to have to create one. This is easily done by logging in to your Google account on the main page. From there, you’ll create a profile.
• Once you log in, scroll over to the right side of the page and look at the sidebar. Underneath where it says “Hangouts”, you will see a link that says “Create a Google+ page”. Click on that.
• Pick a category. As a real estate agent , you’ll most likely select “Local Business or Place.”
• Pick what country your business is in and put in your office phone number
• From there, you will be directed to a map where your office may show up. If you’re registered in Google Maps, then you will most likely come up. Pick the listing that applies to you and edit your business name to be what you want your page to be named, along with all contact information.
• Select a category that your business falls under, (most likely Home and Construction) and then make your page publicly visible by selecting that option from the drop-down menu.
• Make sure you agree to the Pages terms by checking the box and then click “Create.”
You’re done! Your Google+ page is now created, and from there, creating and editing your profile is the exact same as it is with your personal Google+ profile. You’ll include an introduction with keywords linking to your online presence, add photos and make sure your recommended links go to your website, blog and social media presence. After your page is created, make sure you publicize it on Facebook, Twitter and even your personal Google+ profile! You’ll want to start building your circles on your business Google+ page as soon as you can.
As daunting as having yet another profile may sound, this new Google+ feature is yet another imperative aspect of your online presence. The best part is that this feature is now compatible with HootSuite, so you can maintain this page on the same dashboard that you use to post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you need any help getting this new page set up, feel free to contact your real estate virtual assistant for help!
Contact Carrie
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6 Tips for Effective Video Marketing for 2012!
Friday, November 11th, 2011
With the holidays right around the corner, many of you may already be thinking about what the next year will bring. Taking the time during the slower holiday season to really map out your business strategy for 2012 is essential for starting the new year out on the right foot!
You may even be considering some new avenues of marketing that will help boost your business’s appeal and draw in more clients. A great medium that is quickly gaining momentum is video marketing, and if you haven’t yet jumped into the video scene, this coming year would be a great kick-off point!
Many real estate agents have shied away from doing video for a variety of reasons. It may be a fear of being in front of the camera, not knowing what to create a video about, or just not having the right equipment. However, when done correctly, using video as a marketing medium can be just the thing to boost business for 2012!
Whether you choose to use an inexpensive handheld video camera like the new Sony Bloggie camera or prefer to hire a local video professional, here are six video marketing tips to help you get started!
1. Keep It Short- Don’t feel as though you have to have a five minute video to make it worth your while or to convey the information you want to share. Your video can be anywhere from a thirty second “quick tip” segment to a two minute video describing what you love about your community. Most potential clients will want a shorter video that allows them to get to know you a little better.
2. Pick a Focus- Make sure each video you create has a distinct focus or point that you want to make. If it helps, take the time to write out a script so that you know exactly what you want to say. Read over it and revise it until it’s concise and compelling! Any video you post that seems distracted or doesn’t have a clear message can give the wrong impression about who you are.
3. Offer Value- As a real estate agent, you are very familiar with the top questions you get from buyers and sellers. Using a video to address these questions will ensure your video is providing the valuable information viewers want to know! You can also use questions that your clients should be asking to help them prepare for the home buying or selling process.
4. Include a Call to Action- Many real estate agents fail to include a call to action in their video, which can defeat the purpose of creating the video. Even if it’s just a simple invitation to call you if they have further questions about your communities’ real estate market, they are at least left with a next step that they can take. This is imperative to encouraging them to take action!
5. Tag Your Video- Including key words in the title of your video such as your city, and what your video is about. This will help search engines index your video more quickly. You can also include key words in your video description if you’re uploading the video to YouTube. Help potential clients find your video more easily and you’ll get more views!
6. Post Your Video- Once you’ve created your video, you’ll want to post it in as many places as possible for ultimate exposure. Have a video page on your website, create a custom YouTube channel for your videos, post them to your real estate blog, and be sure to promote them Facebook and Twitter.
I hope these tips help get you started as you embark on this new marketing territory! Getting a video or two recorded before the end of the year will help you launch your new marketing and give your business fresh appeal with the beginning of 2012!
Contact Carrie
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5 Compelling Reasons You Can’t Forget Your Website
Friday, November 4th, 2011
While we enjoy bringing you all of the latest and greatest tips and tools for social media, we also are firm believers in the tried and true basics of online marketing! Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, a custom blog and other social media sites are all extremely valuable for marketing as they allow you to connect and interact directly with your clients and leads. However, they should never take the place of a customized, content rich website!
With the lean towards social media, it could be that your website has fallen to the wayside and has gotten a little outdated. Hey, it happens. The key, however, is to not let it stay that way!
Think of your website as foundational to your online marketing. Sure, people will flock to your social media sites, but they’ll eventually look for the link to view your website. They want to see that you’re on top of all of your online presence mediums and will be searching for further information on your real estate company, reviews, homes you currently have on the market, homes you’ve sold, more about you personally and other pertinent real estate information.
So here’s the test. Go to your website and look at it from a visitor’s perspective. Is it visually appealing? Are you providing enough information about your services and your community? How’s your bio? Is it outdated? Does your personality shine through? Are you social media sites even listed on your website? If your website is lacking in any of these areas; it’s time for an update!
Still not convinced that your website still plays a vital role of your online presence? Take a look at these five reasons why websites still matter as pointed out by social media and online marketing consultant, Mikal Belicove.
1. Branding: Since it’s your site, you set the design, which affords you the flexibility to optimize the user experience in ways that directly support your business model and brand-related goals. There’s no competition on your website, just a branded experience that you direct yourself.
2. IT and Engineering Jurisdiction: When you control your own site, you have complete jurisdiction over its code, hosting environment, page count, content, plug-ins and more. With regard to branding, here too you have the elasticity required to make small or sweeping adjustments at will, an advantage you don’t get with third-party websites. With sites like Facebook, you can change minor graphics and some content but not code, navigation scheme, server speed or the graphic user interface.
3. Content: Create compelling and useful content that speaks to why someone is visiting your site, and you stand a higher chance of that visitor taking action with respect to your services. And since web pages are virtually unlimited on a site under your control, you have ample opportunity to add additional content and calls to action in any way you choose.
4. SEO: If garnering multiple, relevant and highly positioned placements in the SERPs (search engine result pages) is part of your marketing strategy, a website is a must. When properly coded and managed, your site delivers natural and sustaining search results that drive qualified traffic to the exact pages on your site where you want visitors to be.
5. Analytics: While many social mediums provide access to data related to demographics associated with who accesses your profile and how often they do so, website analytic tools go much deeper. They can provide you with the type of business intelligence you need to determine in real-time how your online marketing performs and stacks up against the competition.
It’s apparent that your website can’t be ignored! Your website is the foundation of all your other marketing and should reflect the excellence and effort that you put into every area of your marketing and service.
If your website does need a little renovation or if you aren’t quite sure where to begin, let your Real Estate Virtual Assistant know! They can help make those few minor tweaks or the overhaul that’s needed to your website to ensure your continued online success!
Contact Carrie
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Increase Website Traffic Through SEO Optimized IDX
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011You probably pay a lot for your IDX service, but have you ever wondered if you are getting as much out of it as possible? Many agents don’t realize that proper and strategic use of your IDX integration can not only make your site more engaging to the visitor, but increase your traffic and search engine ranking as well. You just need to take four steps…
Four Steps to Getting the Most from Your IDX
Search engines, are constantly crawling sites, looking and comparing information to determine the best results to return to users searching for a particular set of keywords. By using a few simple strategies, you can leverage your IDX for content:
Step #1: Ensure your IDX resides on your site.
Most do this now because of the high demand for it, but if you don’t start from this premise, the rest of this article is a moot point for you. When it does, then every individual listing in the MLS can be viewed as a page of content on your site – and this is the central crux of the matter.
To see how many pages you are being credited for, try this… In a Google search, type site:yourdomain (in the example below, site:onlinedominance.com). In light gray writing at the top of the page, you will see the words “About ______ results returned.” So Google finds 1,340 pages of unique content associated with Online DominanceTM.
You can get “content credit” for all those listings in your MLS, provided you follow the next steps.
Step #2: Create predefined searches and install them on your site.
Having just a form for people to fill in with their search preferences, while vital, is not sufficient for this purpose because search engines are just an algorithm and are not interested in completing preference forms. So, if you want the search engine to see your content, you have to make sure the data from the MLS is being actively pulled onto your site. By creating predefined searches, such as by price, location, or even type of property, you are setting up a stream of constantly linked data of every listing that falls within those parameters.
Step #3: Create unique content describing that search
One of the more recent “gotchas” initiated by Google is an update that finds “low quality” pages, which is basically information it determines is syndicated from one source to many different sites. So, unfortunately for you, this means you can’t have just the predefined search. But you can end run this by taking the time to write a paragraph or two of custom content and add targeted title tags, so when the search engine indexes the page it may see some syndicated material but this will be offset by the unique content.
OK, you’re almost there!
Step #4: Link often and well
If you want the search engine to think a page is valuable, you have to treat it as if it IS valuable. So, every time you write something that relates to one of these searches, for instance a blog post about a recent upswing in sales in a certain price range in your market, include a link to that predefined search result page.
How this Helps Get Traffic to Your Site
So I know right now you are saying “Sure, I understand how to strategize the IDX, but what about the traffic and visitor engagement?”
Well, when the search engines find more pages of relevant content that is frequently updated, it helps your page ranking. Also, having lots of related third party sites (such as Trulia, Active Rain, etc.) link back to multiple points on your site helps not only ranking but the likelihood of people finding you. Finally, since every listing is viewed as a page on your site, searches on specific addresses (like when someone drives by and sees a yard sign) will yield your site as a result, so you don’t have to rely on over-used or highly competed for keywords.
As to customer engagement, people love the convenience and instant gratification of being able to see properties in the ranges or categories they prefer with the click of a button. Often, they aren’t sure exactly what they are looking for until they see some results, and having to go back and adjust information in a search form can be a bother. You will get more clicks on saved searches that then allow the user to sift and sort their specifics from there.
A Few Words of Advice
You have the step by step plan to get your IDX SEO optimized, and as always the next step is to implement. But be aware of a few more things before you do!
- Do Not Sock Google – Google is like the referee in a game, it watches to see if you are playing by the rules, and will throw the red card at any suspected foul punch. So, if you had say, 30 pages on your site one day and then next had 20,000, what do you think will happen? That’s right! So, pick the top 2 or 3 searches you think would be most effective in your area, and start adding those, going through all 4 steps to get them strategized. Add slowly to make your results most effective.
- Use the language your users use – People will tend to type search terms that they use in natural language. Name your predefined searches that same way to increase the match rate and hence your page position.
- Get a help in executing this over time – This is the perfect kind of task, low-level and long term, to get a VA to help you execute. Set up the process, set your priorities, and give a VA marching orders. You will see the results as they are added to your site, while freeing you up from worrying about maintaining the flow of information.
So, there you have it! Make sure you are getting the most out of your IDX’s capabilities when it comes to site traffic and visitor engagement by consistently initiating these strategies over time. The best thing is, since that IDX resides on your site, it will all be for your greater good!
Special thanks to Brad Carroll of Dakno Marketing for his contributions to this article.
Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He’s dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Website at http://www.OnlineDominance.com and Facebook page at Facebook.com/OnlineDominance
This article is reprinted in its entirety from the October 2011 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark of RUSSER Communications.
5 Tips for Reaching the Millennial Generation
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Have you stopped to think how technology driven our society is today? It seems worlds away from where we were twenty, fifteen, even ten years ago! In fact, there’s a whole generation of people who don’t even know what life was like before the internet. They’ve grown up with immediate access to an abundance of information at their fingertips, a fast paced social life and are novices as quickly sorting through the best and most convenient path to take in any given situation. They’re call “Millennials.”
So, how do you reach this 17-34 year old, on-the-go generation? Since they are the next wave of home buyers and sellers, being able to capture their attention and speak their language is vital!
Two of the key aspects are to be mobile and be social.
Millennials aren’t tied to a desk top, but reliant on their smartphones, tablets and laptops. Being as mobile as they are will help you keep their speed. Being social reaches them where they spend the majority of their time and will help keep you at the forefront of their mind when they do decide to enter the real estate market.
Here are five main ways you can reach the Millennial generation with your marketing as pointed out by Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Millennial generation marketing agency Mr Youth.
Utility: Millennials are multitaskers. They have 15 tabs open in their Chrome browser while their iPhones push Twitter alerts and their Facebook feeds are blowing up. They don’t want their time to be wasted, so you’re best suited by offering tools to help streamline their day, as opposed to adding one more thing to check.
Keeping on top of your Twitter and Facebook accounts can help streamline their online time as you feed your blog and other social media sites through these hubs.
Entertainment: The average YouTube user spends 15 to 25 minutes per day on the site; we like being entertained. And since traditional media consumption is being turned on its head by streaming services, companies need to find a new way to get in front of their audiences and entertain them.
Having a custom YouTube channel for your listings and community videos will spark their interest and give them that visual entertainment they’re searching for.
Information: We are bombarded daily by information online, and one huge reason we use the web is to find more of it. The information you provide on your blog and other social media sites needs to be current and relevant in order for the Millenials to take the time to read it. They’re smart and will quickly dismiss any information they feel like they’ve heard a thousand times. They simply don’t have time for it. Fresh and pertinent information is key!
Rewards: Rewarding is most effective as a retention tool, and not an acquisition tool, Britton says. Offering a prize to your 200th follower might get you a few more fans, but they’re only there for the free stuff and not because they’re huge fans of your business. On the other hand, rewarding your existing fans is a great way to bolster their connection to your company.
Whether you’re offering an exclusive coupon or a prize, be sure to reward the existing fans who got you are past clients or current leads. These are your loyal fans who are most likely to stick with you and use you again in the future, unlike a fair-weather follower who only showed up for the latest contest.
Recognition: Be appreciative of your fans’ interest and support of your company (it doesn’t have to be monetary, even a “thank you” will go a long way). Branding isn’t just important for companies as millennials are all building their own personal brands, too.
If you have a current client who is showing in a local gallery; recognize their accomplishment on your sites! Having your recognition and interest in their lives will show them you care and show others that you’re a real estate agent who will go above and beyond. This will give them even more reason to tell their friends about you and your services, which could result in even more leads for you in the future.
Now, it may sound like it will take a lot of extra time and effort to reach out to this next generation of home buyers, but taking it a day at a time will go a long way. If you find you don’t have the time needed to reach out to this demographic in the way they need to be reached, your Real Estate Virtual Assistant will be a great resource in helping you achieve your goals!
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