Archive for Realtor Tools & Tips
RPR: The coming civil war in real estate
I've pulled highlights from the full article
The MLS
Turns out, MLSs employ rather lots of people, including executives who are drawing a very nice income from heading up said MLSs. Are we to believe that these people will voluntarily march down to the unemployment line so that RPR can make millions?
Fact is, once RPR is in your market, every Realtor will use it. It's that good. There isn't an MLS in the country (yet) that can release a competing product. Over time -- and a rather short period of time at that -- every member of that MLS will wonder why he is paying those MLS fees.
The Brokerage
After RPR, every single member of NAR will have the best backend agent tool ever created. If you're a Coldwell Banker agent, there will be little reason to go to CREST or to the CB Extranet site to get tools and data. RPR will have it for you.
The mapping tool on RPR kicks the bejesus out of anything I've seen offered by any major franchise or major brokerage. And the local mom-and-pop will have it, just as your agents will, except that the local guy will be paying 90/10 splits since he doesn't have the overhead you have.
Think your big brokerage office will be attracting or keeping more top agents? Based on what?
Why Realtor’s don’t need Web stats
Is your site primarily about you, your brand, what your company does, or how you do what you do really well? The only time you mention someone other than your company is to say how much better you are than that other someone? Congratulations, Web analytics probably isn't for you.
Respect your Web Visitors by offering Quality Content
You will establish an identity through blogging if you focus on your specific audience. Identify who you are writing to and put the focus on them not you. Your web site already says who you are: a realtor with your broker in your market area. Your content/writing will define who you are in that context. Are you an industry expert? Friendly and approachable? Funny? Serious? An expert in a certain niche? Do you know everything about your market area: do you offer the inside scoop?
Define your goal: what is your expected outcome?
Define your audience: who you are writing to, what do they want to read, what is helpful, entertaining, what makes them want to continue reading and come back for more?
The blog is your platform for connecting with prospective clients so they will want to contact you. It’s the virtual equivalent of sharing information and expertise with people in person or on the phone.
Learn from experts. The following blog posts are not only instructional; they are generous and worth the read:
The Ramones’ Guide to Killer Content
Blow self-obsessed smug corporate communication to bits with razor-sharp relevant content.
The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging
If you write a blog, the bad news is you have millions of competitors. The good news is most of them suck.
How to Craft a Blog Post - 10 Crucial Points to Pause
If there’s one lesson that I’ve learnt about writing for the web it’s that a key element to writing successful blog posts is that in most cases they take time to CREATE.
Greater Fairfield County CMLS Says OK to IDX for Agents!
Fairfield County real estate agents can now take advantage of expanded IDX options for their personal websites. You are no longer limited to framing-in your brokers IDX solution or the awkward rDesk solution offered through the CMLS. (rDesk is also a framed-in IDX solution)
The problem with framed-in solutions is they are not user friendly (can't bookmark or link to specific pages) and they are not search engine friendly.
Beginning Monday, August 3rd GFC CMLS Subscribers will also have the option of utilizing any of the following GFC CMLS authorized “Third-Party” IDX vendors: (with your broker's written permission - paperwork is required)
• Advanced Access – www.advancedaccess.com
• Arran Technologies – www.arran.com
• Birdview Technologies – www.birdview.com
• Homes.com – www.homes.com
• IDX Broker – www.idxbroker.com
• iHomeFinder – www.ihomefinder.com
• MarketLeader – www.marketleader.com
• rDesk – http://www.ct-mls.com/idx
• SkyeMark Business Solutions – www.skyemark.com
• WolfNet Technologies, Inc. – www.mlsfinder.com
Real Estate Search Stats: Search behavior
For search-engine-optimization purposes, the first few phrases in a blog post are vital in the post's relevancy to searches, Tancer said. "If you want to talk about real estate in San Mateo Park, you want to put 'San Mateo Park' within those first 14 characters," he said.
Also, there is an increasing complexity in online searches. "People are getting very, very specific in their search queries.
What Realtors ought to know about their websites
What was popular for your real estate website a couple of years ago is no longer working. If you have a site that hasn't been updated recently you can relate to this. You've noticed less activity, visits, leads etc. and likely a drop in your search position on Google. This isn't about your meta tags and keywords, it's about your content.
The good news is that you really don't have to throw money at traditional advertising to improve your online search strategy and conversion. And while improving your content takes work, this work can take the place of other less profitable marketing strategies while saving you time and effort in addition to money.
Take a few minutes to view this video. It will help you get in the frame of mind to accept how quickly things are changing. And why you need to change your online marketing strategy to keep up.
Some people think this video is creepy or scary. Change is always a little scary and seeing how quickly technology is evolving can be intimidating but also exciting.
People surf the web to research or to be entertained. If your website is simply an advertisement about how great you are then you are missing an opportunity to connect with your visitor. You won't be able to hold their attention because you are not meeting their needs.
Your affiliations, years in business, awards and sales volume is not content aimed at meeting the needs of your visitors. Don't say "I'm a luxury homes specialist" prove it. Provide interesting information about the luxury home market. Define your audience. Who purchases/sells luxury homes? What topics would be of specific interest to that demographic? Educate and engage your visitors.
Check out the following resources for writing engaging customer focused content:
"First of all, you'd better be blogging. You've got to join the conversation and have something valuable to say before anyone will bother acknowledging you. In the excellent business blogging book Naked Conversations
Quoted from: Viral Copy: Trading Words for Traffic
download the full 30 page report and visit copyblogger.com for more information and articles about viral marketing and creating great content for your real estate web site.
The Customer Focus Calculator (We-We Calculator):
A great tool to illustrate whether your site is focusing on the customers' needs...or just loves the sound of its own voice.
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How real estate agents can use Google Alerts for SEO
Google alerts are just like the "daily email updates" your IDX system sends out to people searching for homes. Except instead of emailing new real estate listings, Google will email you the latest relevant Google search results that match your search criteria. This includes web, news, blog posts etc.
Pretty cool right? You get the latest relevant Google results on any topic, keyword phrase, a persons name, whatever your interest, automatically emailed to you, once a day, as it happens or once a week. Your choice.
Some of the Google Alerts you may want to consider setting up:
- Your name
- Your website name
- Your latest industry news
- Your competitors
- Your market area
- The keyword phrases you would expect people use to find your web site
The last item on the list is the one I most want to discuss. Most realtors I speak with want to be found this way in a Google search: city state real estate
example: westport ct real estate
Google Alert for Westport CT Real Estate
Using Google Alerts will make the concept crystal clear about two things I explain to clients on an almost daily basis:
- The old fashioned marketing strategy of static content is no longer performing for real estate web sites.
- If you don't have relevant content including your keyword phrases you can not expect to be found for that particular search.
Another important thing to remember, and creating Google Alerts will remind you, is this: People don't necessarily come to your web site to read your content. Specific headlines and including your market area (city and state) and topic in your copy is essential for search engines and for understanding what your content is about outside the context of your web site.
Create a Google Alert and improve your web marketing strategy now! www.google.com/alerts
The price of economic pessimism
- Image via Wikipedia
We have a responsibility to be optimistic about the economy. The truth is 'thoughts become things" and if we focus on the bad economy, worry constantly about not having enough money, losing jobs, clients, etc. then that is what we manifest in our lives.
Below is a short optimistic story you may already be familiar with and below that are links to post that may help you feel more inclined to optimism. I hope!
The story goes that two shoe salesman are sent to a new teritory to set up shop and discover that people there don't wear shoes at all. One salesman calls the home office to say, "Don't ship any shoes! I'm returning to headquarters immediately. This trip is a waste, nobody here wears shoes."
The other salesman calls headquarters to say, "Send as many shoes as you can! This place is a goldmine - nobody here has any shoes!"
How Are We Doing
The American economy is in a rough patch. But the long-term trends are good—and there is a price to economic pessimism.
Here's the Good News
Forget headlines - the world economy has never been better.
The Good news of Economic Collapse
The best and the brightest minds of the world will use their skills to replace the oil based economy that presently exists because of the tremendous monopoly profits that come from a 19th century technology.
Why I'm optimistic even now
As a Chapel Hill attorney, a member of the community of real estate professionals, a small business owner, a longtime local citizen and a parent, I have experienced firsthand the struggles and challenges we have all been faced with of late. And yet I find myself, like so many others, filled with gratitude for what we have, and sincerely optimistic about what we will achieve going forward.
When your Thoughts Become Things
Yogi Gupta: When your thoughts become creative psychically they will bring results in your life which at first will appear to you just unbelievable, startling, miraculous and supernatural. But really there is nothing miraculous and supernatural in the results which come purely by the use of the higher forces of Nature, known as psychic powers. Every move of the process which transforms your thoughts into things is made in accordance with natural law and order of Nature.
Your Positive Thoughts Can Make a Difference
Life Coach Barbara Scala reminds us how we are all connected, gives practical advice and shares her "game" on how to develop and maintain a positive attitude.
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