Posts Tagged ‘real estate marketing’
Are You Living to Work or Working to Live?
Saturday, February 25th, 2012
Anyone who is in business for themselves at some point addresses the question “Why am I doing what I’m doing?” How you answer that question will make a huge difference in your sense of fulfillment and quality of life –and for those you love.
Work, Work, Work ad nausem…
Our Western society tends to put work and high-productivity on a pedestal. It looks favorably upon, and often financially rewards, those who dedicate their lives to producing ever greater quantities of products or services. High performance business people are the new rock stars of our generation. This is all well and good –to a point. Beyond that it is easy for one to lose site of why we are putting in those 80 hours per week. Why we don’t have time to spend with the kids as much as we (or more importantly, they) would like. Or why it is not fun or fulfilling anymore no matter how much money we make.
When we lose site of the fact that we are a human “being”, by becoming a human “doing”, something will eventually break. Your marriage, your business or maybe even your nervous system (i.e. burnout). Becoming a “Human Doing” is a lot easier than you might imagine. It starts out by using all kinds of reasonable excuses and rationalizations to work more and harder. ”We need the money to put the kids through college.” ”We need a larger house.” ”If I don’t work my ass off my competition will eat my lunch.” and so on. These rationalizations are based upon a fear of either not having or being enough.
Keep going that way and pretty soon you become uncomfortable when you are NOT working! BTW, Sunday is probably your toughest day of the week because you are least likely to work that day and being away from work makes you anxious. At this point your very sense of self and self-worth, of who you are, is dependent upon your work. This is when you are officially a member of the “live to work” crowd. Work has become your drug of choice to distract you from being in the moment (i.e. living as a human “being”). And the cruel irony is those who succumb to this are almost never as productive as those who have figured out that their business exists to serve them, not the other way around.
Beyond Balance
How many times have we heard from business gurus that “We must maintain balance between our work and personal lives.” While true, simply saying this masks the fact that lack of balance in one’s life is a symptom rather than the cause of the dis-ease. The cure starts with the realization that no matter what your position, talents or accomplishments in life, you have and already are “enough”. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake, nice to have but not necessary.
When you choose to think this way (and it is a choice) you will find yourself living as a human being again and viewing your work as a tool that exists only to serve your life (and those your work affects) and nothing more. This is when you will find a space open up for you (and those around you) for “life balance” which is a natural result of this new perspective of work/business. You know what else will happen? You will start thinking of ways that your business can work harder for you. And when that happens you have a truly successful business –and life.
3 Tips for Powerful Email Marketing!
Friday, February 24th, 2012Is email marketing a part of your strategy for this year? You’ve probably realized that getting into your 
clients, past clients and future clients inboxes is a great way to remain connected to them. But is it effective?
Recently, Boomerang for Gmail analyzed over 5 million messages in their database to gather the most up to date stats on when to send emails, key words to use, key words you don’t want to use and how much time is spent on email everyday. Whether you send out a regular real estate newsletter, have a customized drip email campaign or take time each week to personally email your database; you’ll want to check out these ways to best reach your audience!
Time of Day
- Most people want to read emails before work or at lunch. After a long day in the office, the last thing they want to do is go home and get caught up on more emails. To be most effective, send out emails between 6-8am or 11am-1pm.
Length
- In their study, Boomerang found that the average person spends more than 2 1/2 hours a day on email. That’s seem outrageous, but when you break it down to an average of 147 messages in your inbox in a day; you’ll spend 5 minutes deleting junk mail and an average of 90 minutes responding to those 12 key emails that take thoughtful responses.
The point? If you want people to read your email, keep it short and concise! The minute someone opens an email and sees paragraph after paragraph; they loose interest and will most likely hit delete. Eye catching graphics in your newsletter and bold headings can help people navigate easily through your email without feeling bogged down.
Words to Use, Words to Avoid
- Oftentimes we know if we want to read an email or not just by the title. This can be the most important part of grabbing your readers attention, so you want to make it count! Below are the title words that attract readers and those to avoid.
Use:
- Apply
- Opportunity
- Demo
- Connect
- Payments
- Conference
- Cancellation
Avoid:
- Confirm
- Join
- Assistance
- Speaker
- Press
- Social
- Invite
Some of these on the list may seem surprising, but with a study of over 5 million emails; it seems these are the words that make people take notice or delete an email. So, choose the words of your title carefully!
I hope these tips concerning email marketing have been helpful! If you’re not currently engaging your audience in a weekly email, a real estate newsletter or customized drip email campaign; you should! These are great ways to remain at the forefront of people’s minds and when they have a real estate need; guess who they’ll call first! If you need help along the way, your real estate virtual assistant can help you get started on your quest to create an effective marketing plan!
Have a great day!
Carrie Gable and the team at RealSupport, Inc.are our “VA Quick Tip” columnists offering expertise in real estate marketing, technology and more. RealSupport’s office and team of 9 full-time staff members is located near Chicago, IL. Their successful team works virtually for many top real estate agents and brokers nationwide. Pioneers in the Real Estate Virtual Assistant industry, RealSupport offers marketing, branding, website and logo design, listing marketing, lead generation, technical support, transaction management, social networking, blogging and much more… Just ask!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
Don’t Talk About It, Just Do It
Saturday, February 18th, 2012
Do you know anyone who talks about what they are going to do and then never seem to get around to doing it? Most of us have done this one time or another. When it becomes your standard operating procedure however, it is cause for major concern. Here’s why and how to avoid this success-killing behavior.
A friend of mine is one of the most charming, charismatic and high-energy people I know. The other night she came over for a visit to share the incredible excitement she had about her new class on how to be a successful entrepreneur. She literally gushed about how she was going to do this and that to make sure she was the best in the class and be a huge success story for the organization that was providing this training. She shared how she brought the other class members and even the instructors to tears with her fire, passion and commitment to make it happen. This was just the first of 16 classes and she already was their inspiration!
This young woman has the talent and drive to make it happen so I believed her when she said that starting the next morning she’ll be up at 7:00am and focus intently on making this entrepreneurial dream come true. Well, the very next morning she calls me at 10:00am saying she just got up because (fill in the blank for any number of reasons). My immediate thought was that she’s already failed before she even got started. How could this have happened? How can anyone go from incredible fire, passion and determination to not even getting out of the starting gate? Well, the irony here is that she had quite literally foretold that this would happen.
It has been my experience that the more effusive someone is about what they are going to do, the more insecure they are about actually doing it. In fact, the whole process of enrolling others in their excitement (like my friend above) is actually an unconscious attempt to get others to validate their intentions. The more you can get others excited about what you are going to do, the more likely it may happen because others are now excited about it as well. This is bootstrap thinking at its worst.
Real determination will not allow one second to be spent on talking about what you are going to do –it is too focused on making it happen. This suggests a real easy self-test to gauge just how really committed you are to anything. The more inclined you are to telling others about what you are going to do, the less committed you are to making it happen —period. And, if you catch yourself excitedly wanting to tell others about some future accomplishment take that as a sign to spend more time honestly evaluating the “why” behind that intention. Chances are it has nothing to do with a particular goal other than to feel good about oneself. The unfortunate thing is that the more one behaves in this way (i.e. saying before doing) the more hits they take to their self-confidence and self-esteem.
There is way too much “future talk” in our society (being an election year certainly doesn’t help). Don’t be part of that conversation, instead put your energies into making it happen. You will be a lot happier and so will those around you.
Showing Up For Success
Sunday, February 12th, 2012
One hears a lot of complaints spoken by many sales people in this industry –and they are usually about people (clients, prospects and other agents) they work with. The old adage is if you don’t like something either do something about it if you can or accept it if you can’t -in either case complaining never helps. In the case of not liking how other people show up for you there is something you can do about it and it is surprisingly simple.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Human Beings tend to be very reflective creatures. When walking down a city street and we see someone looking up intently, we simply cannot help ourselves from doing the exact same thing. The next time you are part of group sharing a meal observe intently and you will likely catch the others reaching for their drinks at the same time. Likewise in sales we are taught to “mirror” our prospects to put them at ease and feel more trusting. This approach breaks down however if your client or prospect is rude, unreasonable, offensive etc. Mirror those behaviors and you will likely lose more than just the sale!
While you can’t control the (negative) behavior of others, you certainly do have more influence on it that you may realize thanks to our innate tendency to reflect what we see or experience in others. The way to do this is to simply show up in the way you wish others to show up for you. Watch what happens in your relationship with other people when you consistently do this in a way where you are not attached to the results. Unnattachement is important here because otherwise you would have an agenda that would show up clearly to the other person –behavior you definitely don’t want to see from them.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
Sometimes in close personal relationships (such as with a spouse) showing up in the way you want your significant other to show up for you is not enough –usually because of some emotional baggage that is tied to your relationship. If their behavior is not appropriate and they don’t respond to the way you show up for them, then you need to take one additional step. You let them know clearly and without emotion that until they start showing up for you the way they want you to show up for them you will not show up at all –period (meaning, not engage with them).
This is a powerful way to get others to recognize and take ownership of their own inappropriate behavior and in that awareness, be in a space to do something about it. By the way, imagine how powerful and confident you appear to an abusive prospect or client when you take this approach.
If you want to make a difference you first have to show up, period –something that not everyone is willing to do. Then, show up in the way you want others to show up for you and sooner or later you will see the change in the world you are being.
Mid-Life Crisis vs. Mid-Life Transformation
Saturday, February 4th, 2012
If you are anywhere between 40 and 60 years old chances are you have experienced something generally referred to (and depicted in uncountable comedies) as a “mid-life crisis”. Most think of this in terms of a mortality-awareness panic attack. For some it certainly is that and no more. There are others however that use that awareness as a jumping off point for a major reset in their life. We all come to terms with our own mortality and failures to achieve what we thought we would by a certain age. What we do about it can literally affect how you live the rest of your life.
Never Waste a Good Crisis
A mid-life crisis, as the name suggests, is a fear-based reaction to the sudden acute awareness of one’s limited life span and failures to achieve goals and dreams. And any time you react based upon fear, the result is usually not good. A person going through a mid-life crisis will typically try to assuage their fears (or dull their awareness of them) by looking to external things. A new lover / spouse, hot new car, etc. with great mis-guided concern about what others think of them. Unfortunately this approach never works because it is the opposite of acceptance of what is. And until one reaches that acceptance they will never find true peace. Quite often, once the manic phase of a mid-life crisis burns out, the person reverts to “settling” for their current life situation. Not a very inspired way to live the rest of one’s life. By the way, “settling” and “acceptance” are worlds apart.
A mid-life transformation starts out the same way –a sudden realization that a) life is short (and getting shorter by the day), and b) you are not happy with your current state of affairs. Those who use this new-found awareness as a jumping off point for true transformation react quite differently from those is “crisis” mode. There is no panic or fear-based reaction. The first thing that happens is true acceptance of what is, then a deep inquiry as to what can be.
A mid-life transformation is an inside job, internally focused. There is little concern about what others think –a good thing because many people going through true transformation tend to lose many of their “friends” who are threatened by the “new you”. A mid-life transformation is about assessing (and being grateful for) all the skills and experience you have acquired so far and re-purposing them to design and live the life you want. A mid-life transformation is not about acquiring anything, it is about releasing what was always inside of you that was afraid to come out all those previous years.
There is something far worse than a mid-life crisis however. And that is being so dead inside that you never have one. Millions of otherwise hardworking, decent law-abiding people exist with barely a flicker of life. They go through the motions, smile when appropriate, tip the waiter, say hi to the mailman and hang out with friends whose lives are as dead as theirs. These are people who are so afraid of who they really are and the possibility of their own greatness that they bury any glimpse of that awareness. They’re born, they live, they die and all they have to show for it is a little 2″ dash between dates on their tombstone. These are people who live complaining about what is and die with nothing but regrets.
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.
~~Henry David Thoreau
So if you had (or are about to have) a mid-life crisis –celebrate! It means you are still alive and a bit more aware. Now the trick is to turn that awareness into an opportunity to transform your life from the inside out. Take full responsibility and go for everything you are worth until your last breath. Do that and I guarantee you will live life fully and have no regrets at the end of this journey.
Do Your Online Marketing Efforts Inspire Trust in Your Brand?
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Trust is imperative to the success of any business, and real estate is no exception. After all, people hire you to help them buy or sell their homes because they trust that you have the experience, knowledge, work ethic and integrity to do so. If you lose trust in your brand, then you lose business, and if you lose business, then let’s just say it: you’re out of business.
Part of our job as real estate virtual assistants is to help you implement more marketing efforts that will help you build your business. The main reason that we are successful at doing this virtually, not on-site, for all of our clients is because they trust us. They rely on us to guide them in the right direction, make suggestions that will benefit their business and get the job done to their standards. We’ve built and maintained that trust, and we advise our clients to utilize the resources available to them to build that too. This is one area that social media maintenance and blogging can actually really benefit your business.
Since social media is a platform in which your community can interact with you and ask questions, you can really utilize it to build trust in your brand. If you look like you’re taking the time to answer everyone’s questions, interact with your network and consistently post valuable information, then people will realize that you are a true expert in your field and you can be trusted to get the job done. Blogging demonstrates how knowledgeable you are about your field and showcases your involvement in your community, as well. If people who are looking for a real estate agent come across this, they will see that you are a trusted resource and that they can rely on you to help them through their real estate transaction.
These two marketing efforts will only help you build up trust in your brand, if you utilize them correctly. If you do them the wrong way, they can actually detract from your brand and make people question you. Here are a few ways that you can ensure that your online presence is building your brand’s trust instead of hindering it.
• Please check your work. As a writer, I can’t tell you how crazy it makes me when I see agents posting things on Facebook or their blog with a bunch of spelling and obvious grammatical errors. Sure, people make the occasional typo, but if your work is filled with spelling and grammar mistakes, it makes you look a lot less professional. Take the time to spell check, and your presence could start looking more credible and impressive to people who come across it.
• Answer questions and respond to feedback in a timely fashion. If someone posts a negative review of you on your Facebook wall or asks you a bunch of questions, don’t just ignore them. Take the time to address it in a professional, non-threatening manner. Answering questions does not mean that you have to plug your services. Answer their question as if they were just a friend asking for advice. Similarly, if someone posts a criticism or negative review of your services, then address it, but do so respectfully and if need be, apologetically. People will see that you do care about your clients, and they will respond well to that. After all, nobody has a perfect track record with clients, and it’s how you handle the negative things that show your true strength as an agent.
• Consistency is key. If you’re going to utilize online marketing as a way to build trust in your brand, then you need to be willing to commit to it. Communicating with your network as frequently as possible will show just how much you value your online network and their input. When customers feel valued, they feel that they can trust that you will do everything you can to make them happy in a business transaction. We know that posting to social media and blogging every day is a large investment of your time, but if you take the time to build the following, you will see how much it actually contributes to the trust people put in to your brand.
In today’s world, before people hire services of any kind, they hop online and look up the business or person they want to hire. Having an active online presence will publicly demonstrate that people value in your brand, and that will make others trust you, too. Your real estate virtual assistant can help you build your brand from the ground up, and they can also get people to respond and trust your brand through your online marketing efforts. After all, if there is one thing that you should want people to associate with your business, it is trust and honesty, right?
Take some time to think about it. Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
Lose Your I’s to See and Be Seen
Saturday, January 28th, 2012
As social beings one of the most important things to us is to be “seen” – that is noticed, cared about and feel relevant to others. Likewise there are few things worse than becoming “invisible” to those we most want to be seen by whether they be family, friends, prospects, clients or lovers. How ironic that there is a common habit of which we are all guilty that literally guarantees people will not see us fully (or us them). Here’s what it is and what you can do about it.
The Most Alienating Word In the English Language
It’s amazing how the innocent, tiny word “I” can cause so much trouble –especially since it is so endearing to those who use it liberally. Don’t let its size fool you because it packs a huge punch. The moment you use the word “I” (or one of its cousins “me”, “mine” etc.) whether verbally or in print, you have made yourself just a bit harder to see and those who you are communicating with, harder to be seen. The more you use it, the worse the effect.
The reason this happens is that it is hard-wired into our human nature to want to be seen by others. The moment someone uses “I” when communicating with you, they have preempted your chance at being seen by insisting that you see them first. Which of course has the exact opposite effect because now (feeling somewhat dissed) you concentrate even more about being seen by them rather than really listening to what they are saying. This can devolve rather quickly to the point where even two friends at dinner end up just txting others because of the illusion of “connection” that txting can give oneself. You’ve probably seen it happen.
Have you ever been with a friend, colleague or family member who rudely txts while supposedly spending quality time with you? And if so, how does that make you feel? In that context, txting is a sign of severe “I” disease. You apparently are not “seeing” them enough so they disconnect from you and delude themselves into thinking that whomever they are txting is somehow seeing them more. Meanwhile you are making a mental note to never invite them again.
As bad as that is, it can be worse, much worse. For example, a friend who is so self-absorbed that practically every other word out of her mouth is “I” (with lots of “me”, “my” and “mine”s thrown in for good measure). To the point that you are not really there except simply as a mirror through which they can admire themselves that much more. This is a form of narcissism that typically precludes these types of individuals from having any real meaningful long-term relationships and often has them wondering cluelessly as to why that is.
So, how do you cure “I” blindness? It’s really so simple, that it has been right in front of your nose all the time…
Say Bye, Bye, Bye to All Those I, I, I’s
You want to connect powerfully (and be seen clearly) by your family, friends, prospects and clients? It’s easy, eliminate the word “I” from your vocabulary and substitute ”you”, “your”, “yours”. Do that consciously and watch the magic happen. For example, before you hit “SEND” on your next email, take a moment to count how many “I’s” it contains –you will probably will be blown away by the number. Now, rewrite the email to eliminate every one of them –that’s right, every single one with the focus shifted to the recipient. This takes practice at first, however after a few times it will become second nature and you will never send an I-filled email again.
Doing this verbally with another person can be challenging. So here’s a way to make it fun for both of you. Next time you have a meal with a friend (always best to practice with them first :0), agree to the rule that the first person to say five or more “I’s” during the meal picks up the tab. In the highly unlikely event that neither of you used “I” five or more times, you split the tab. The beauty of this approach (once you gotten over the “gotcha” attempts playful friends try at first) is that it forces you to consciously ”see” the other person first. And when one person feels seen, they will usually reciprocate. The only exception to this is if the other person happens to be a narcissist –in that case your efforts of seeing them just feeds their bottomless hunger to be the center of attention (at least it’s a great way to get a lot of free meals :0)
The bottom line is this: If you want to be truly seen by others, strive to see them first. And the way to do this is to have the courage to lose your “I’s”.
Funny Anecdote:
Imagine living with a college roommate for almost a year who has only known you to have a full head of very blond straight hair AND a very jet-black curly beard (quite a striking combination :0). Then one day, after months of living together, you completely shave off your beard. When the roommate comes home that evening you ask if he notices anything different about you. He looks and looks and can’t for the life of him see any change. Then you tell him and he about falls on the floor. Talk about not being seen – this actually happened. And as a postscript, this “blind” roommate ended up going into real estate sales :0)
A Positive Outlook for 2012!
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Whether people are just tired of moping about the economic downturn of the past few years or they’re sensing true change, it seems there’s an overarching sense of positivity for 2012… and that’s exciting! Of course just thinking positively is not a magical formula for boosting the economy, but it’s the actions that spring from a positive outlook that are agents of change.
A survey from The National Federation of Independent Business this past December noted that small business owners confidence in the economy had risen for the fourth month in a row. This positive momentum is just the thing needed leading into a new year with a clean slate and endless possibilities!
As a real estate agent, you are at the forefront of one of the economy’s greatest indicator of change; the real estate market. You’ve seen first hand the market ebb and flow and are probably the first to talk about positive changes that occur. You understand the importance of keeping that favorable outlook as you lead buyers and sellers through the real estate market.
So, how can you capitalize on this optimistic trend for the new year? Below are three ways as noted by Entrepreneur.com to which I’ve added a few real estate specific examples. Take a look!
1. Up your marketing spend. Money invested in marketing now should pay off in more new clients as the economy improves.
As you boost your marketing, you become more familiar and trustworthy within your community. When buyers and sellers do jump into the real estate market as the market continues to improve; you’ll be on the top of their list! You’ve taken the time to become that trusted resource for them and, consequently, you’ll see that return on investment many times over.
2. Consider a hire. It’s a great time to snap up talented applicants.
This is true for expanding your business to include additional real estate agents for your team, but is also true for all of your daily tasks as well. By hiring a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, you can “have a marketing team at your fingertips, not in your office” which means you’re not paying for additional overhead. As your virtual assistants, we’re here when you need us, which frees you up to decide when you need the extra help!
3. Move in a new direction. If you’ve been holding off on a new business initiative, now is the time to put it in gear. Get a jump on the competition before everybody catches on to the upswing.
Whether it’s boosting your marketing, creating a personalized listing presentation, revamping your website, tackling video marketing or starting your real estate blog; now is the time to embark on a new endeavor!
These three tips give you the practical steps to begin to turn your positive outlook into an agent of change! Keep the momentum for this new year going by capitalizing on this approach to 2012.
Your real estate virtual assistant is here to help you implement new initiatives for your business or to take on those daily tasks that keep holding you back.
Have a great day!
Contact Carrie
Visit us Online at RealSupportInc.com
How to “Make” Things Happen Effortlessly
Saturday, January 21st, 2012
Anyone in business for any length of time is used to “making” things happen. Trouble is we typically struggle, sometime mightily, in our efforts to do so. There is a way to allow things to happen with little or no effort or struggle. And here is why it is so much better than brute force.
“Making” things happen is a very western way of thinking that resides firmly in the ego. In essence, when you try to make things happen, this is what you are really saying about how it will get done:
- In my way
- Within my time schedule
- Using my resources
- Under my control
“Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead –ram anybody or anything that gets in our way!” Are you beginning to see the problem here? Especially when others are all taking the same approach. Everyone struggles and he/she who struggles most/best wins –that is if you call being exhausted, uptight and frustrated most of the time “winning”.
There is another way that is so powerful you may be tempted to think that it is just too simple to ever work. It’s called “creating a space” for things to happen. Instead of fighting for every inch, go with the natural flow of things. Open up the space of possibility for what you want to happen. Now for you to successfully employ this method and enjoy all of its benefits (relaxed effortlessness, serendipity, greater outcomes than what you intended, etc.) there is a few things you need to let go of.
First is the illusion that you have control over anything other than your own choices. Anything else is just part of the mystery and wonder of life. Secondly (and this is REALLY important) let go of any attachments to the outcomes. This means being dispassionate about whether or not you achieve your objectives no matter how badly you want them. When you marry strong intention (i.e. what you want) with letting go of the need for control and not being attached to outcomes you have by definition created a space for your intentions to happen. This is a powerful space in which miracles occur effortlessly and often bigger and better than you intended. They may not happen in the way you intended, on your time schedule, or through your resources, yet they will happen never-the-less.
This doesn’t mean sitting back waiting for things to happen –not at all. It means taking the steps with full commitment you deem necessary for fruition, yet being open to any possibility that may result from your efforts. By the way, this approach is even more powerful in relationships. When’s the last time you tried to “make” a relationship happen? (and how did that work for you?) In this context making a space for a desired relationship means showing up fully for the other person yet not being attached to whether or not they respond in the way you wish.
There is a corollary to this principle that basically states that the more you try to make things happen, the less space you create to allow them to occur with little or no effort and the more fear is pushing you away from what really works. There is no valor in struggle when there is an easier, more natural way.
The next time you feel tempted to swim upstream just ask yourself how tired do you really want to be when you finally get to where you want to go –only to be taken down stream once again anyway. Fight life or flow with it –it’s your choice.
Have You Mastered the Blogging Basics?
Friday, January 20th, 2012
Search-engine optimization. Who knew that these three little words could become so important to successful online marketing? Many real estate agents spend several hours obsessing over how they can give themselves the most SEO possible so that they can achieve the ultimate dream: landing on page 1 of Google. As real estate virtual assistants, we completely understand the importance of having a strong, SEO-friendly online presence. After all, several of our clients come to us because they have found us on Google, but our secret wasn’t hiring an expensive SEO company or having search engine superpowers. Our secret can be summed up in one word: blogging.
Yes, blogging is the key to boosting your SEO! Before you scratch your head in confusion, take a second to think about it. Google loves two things:
1. Custom-written content
2. Content that is full of keywords (that people commonly type in to the Google search engine box) that are linked back to relevant pages on your website.
Blogging takes care of both of these things. You or your real estate virtual assistant can write custom-written, informative content that your community will enjoy reading that also features important keywords that people in your area use when searching for a real estate agent. Many agents have a blog, but they don’t really take advantage of all of the benefits that this marketing tool can offer. We thought that we’d take a few minutes to remind you of what you should be doing when you’re blogging. If you follow this advice, we’re certain that you’ll start to see yourself move up the SEO ladder.
• Make sure that all of your content is custom-written. Several real estate agents hire companies that will post blogs for them, but instead of these blog posts being custom-written, they are one article that is blasted out to several other agents’ blogs at the same time. While the content may be interesting, this approach will not boost your SEO. Google places content that is custom-written above that which has been copied and pasted to several areas on the web. If you’re going to blog, take the time to write your own articles, or find a real estate virtual assistant to write them for you!
• Blog consistently. Posting one time every two months is not going to help you get to page one of Google. The more often you submit custom content to your blog, the more Google recognizes your site as having new information, and they will place your site above ones that haven’t been update in awhile. This doesn’t mean that you have to blog every single day, but posting an interesting article that you wrote yourself once or twice per week will be enough to get yourself moving up in the search engines much faster.
• Use keywords and hyperlinks throughout each post. While you want each blog to be readable and not have keywords placed randomly throughout each post, it is important to use keywords often. You want each keyword to be something that people type in to the search engine box when they look for a real estate agent. For example, if you’re in Boston, you will likely want to use “Boston real estate”, “Boston real estate agent”, “Boston homes” and “Boston condos” as keywords throughout each post. You would then link each of these keywords in your blog back to various aspects of your online presence. This is perhaps the most important part of blogging, as it’s how you start seeing your SEO improve. If you’re blogging and not using keywords or hyperlinks, then you’re not seeing any SEO benefits from your blog. This is an important step, so find ways to integrate your keywords into each post!
• Have fun! This is an important step, too! Blogging gives you a platform to show off your personality on your website and have a little fun. Sure, you want to come off as professional and informative, but you’ll also want to have an approachable, interesting voice that will leave people wanting to come back and read more of what you have to say. Don’t be afraid to switch up your posts a little and try some new things. It will give you more traffic, and you’ll find that people will enjoy your blog posts!
Remember: if you want some organic, easy-to-get Google juice, the answer is blogging. There are so many benefits to implementing this in your online marketing, so we hope that you will all start to take advantage of it!
Have a great day!
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