Category: Real Estate Web Marketing
Yelp Taking Big Investment From Elevation Partners
With companies like Yelp! making it easy for consumers to bash businesses, online reputation management is going to get more and more important.
Way More Concerned With YEO Than SEO
This article was originally written in October 2009 for Plugged In Lawyer, a blog about social media for lawyers.
———————————-
One of my biggest influencers in the world of social media has been Jeff Turner, a guy who was at the forefront of blogging and all things social media in the real estate world before we even had the term “social media.” Jeff is one of the most authentic, plugged in and generous voices I’ve ever found on the web.
I haven’t checked in recently on what Jeff has done, but I’ve been busy digging up my thoughtleaders and their Twitter information so I can reconnect with my roots. That led me to Jeff’s Twitter homepage and his amazing, stop you in your tracks bio statement, “Way more concerned with YEO* than SEO…. *You Engaging Others.”
Not only does this statement capture the essence of who Jeff Turner is, it captures the essence of what social media and social networking should be all about. SEO still has its place as part of a smart social media marketing strategy, but search engines, for all their complicated mathematical algorithms, are (at the end of the day) looking for relevance. Engagement is what is relevant on the web right now.
Everybody should be more concerned with YEO than SEO. Jeff was smart enough to recognize and articulate the concept. Big, big, “drop everything and create a post” hat tip to Jeff Turner for his social media brilliance.
By the way, I see from Jeff’s bio that he has also added two more little ones to his brood since I last checked in. So glad there are more little Turners in the world. 🙂
IDX — What Does It Mean In Real Estate Speak?
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————–
Fellow rainer Angie Vandenbergh recently put up a couple of posts debating whether IDX is a database, a technology or a policy. Below is my take on the distinctions after five years of developing and selling IDX solutions.
First Up — The Basics
Quite literally, IDX stands for “Internet Data Exchange.” More loosely, it translates to “serving up databases to websites.” In the case of real estate, that means bringing listings databases from MLS’s to agent and company websites.
Despite what you’ll see on Wikipedia, IDX is not a real estate industry-specific term, as you can see with a simple Google search. But then, Wikipedia is not an objective research tool. Anybody can edit a Wikipedia entry. Prospective editors don’t even have to log in to edit articles.
While the term “IDX” is heavily associated with the real estate industry, I’ve also seen it in relation to the healthcare industry. I haven’t researched the healthcare angle extensively, but from what I’ve seen, IDX in the healthcare context relates Continue reading “IDX — What Does It Mean In Real Estate Speak?”
What Has Your IDX Done For You Lately?
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————-
By now most agents and brokers understand and agree that there is little point to having a website if they don’t have IDX listings on it. Consumers seek out real estate websites specifically for listings and the easiest source of listings for websites is IDX.
But is your MLS’s free or low-cost IDX solution enough? For at least six reasons I submit that free IDX solutions do not serve your ultimate marketing goal — meeting and developing new client relationships.
1. Most free solutions offer no lead capturing at all. Free or cheap IDX solutions offer a one-way stream of listings data, with nothing except your phone number and maybe an email link for contact information. Recognizing that this is an incredible waste of good content, most website vendors suggest that agents put a guestbook over the solution. That is just plain nuts! When was the last time you greeted potential clients at your office’s front door with Continue reading “What Has Your IDX Done For You Lately?”
Don’t Get Mad — Get Valium (Or Lessons I’ve Learned From Spam)
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————–
Almost everybody I talk to HATES spam and will go to any lengths to keep it out of their mailbox, including setting up incredibly restrictive filters. The other night I asked my husband what had him so engrossed at his computer, and he replied that he was setting up rules in Outlook to quarantine spam. I love my husband, but I couldn’t help smirking. Can anybody really come up with “rules” fast enough to keep spam out? Yes, a few four letter words and body part descriptions might help, but what agent wants to block anything that mentions money, or even bank accounts? And define one body part today and tomorrow it starts showing up Continue reading “Don’t Get Mad — Get Valium (Or Lessons I’ve Learned From Spam)”
The Hokey Pokey Of Being A Successful Entrepreneur
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————–
This is a reprise of an article I wrote five years ago when I was doing more business coaching. I thought it would be fun to share it with the AR community. Real estate professionals are some of the coolest, most motivated entrepreneurs I know.
The Hokey Pokey Of Being A Successful Entrepreneur
My husband and I are HUGE fans of Jimmy Buffet, a man who sings passionately about having fun with life, no matter what it looks like. Jimmy, not coincidentally, has made a boatload of money with his message.
So other than the fact that I have tremendous entrepreneurial respect for the Jimmy Buffet money-making machine, why would I bring this guy up in an Continue reading “The Hokey Pokey Of Being A Successful Entrepreneur”
Now THAT’s Full Service
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————–
Need another idea for generating new business? Consider this. The front page of the LA Times business section was dominated today by a huge article on the mortgage meltdown. Nothing new, there. But one little article tucked away in the corner about the stock market did catch my eye. Titled Need a shrink? Call your broker, it started out like this: “Is the crazy stock market driving you crazy? Don’t worry. To cope with the turmoil on Wall Street and beyond, financial advisors are forging professional alliances to provide their clients with psychiatric help. An advisor will work to keep a portfolio balanced while a psychologist will do the same with the client — and, on occasion, the advisor.” Why limit all the fun to the stock market? I talk to real estate agents and brokers all day who tell me the market is making them crazy and I’m sure their clients feel the same. Why should the financial advisors hog all the good business generating ideas? What do you say? Does anybody out there have a good shrink I can put on speed dial? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A big shout out to Mariana Wagner and her post titled DIY: How To Make a Cool Border Around Your Active Rain and Localism Blog Posts for the inspiration and know how to create my cool beige background and border. Thank you, Mariana! |
Federal Reserve 101
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————–
The Federal Reserve pumped $62 BILLION dollars into our financial system this week because the rate on bank-to-bank loans is significantly above the Fed’s benchmark rate. Do you know what this means? If not, take a look at this excellent, short article I saw in the Los Angeles Times business section this morning called A primer on the Federal Reserve.
Is this week’s action significant? As the article points out, the second infusion on Friday ($38 billion right after Thursday’s $24 billion dollar infusion) was the Fed’s biggest corrective move since its move right after 9/11.
If the Fed’s actions make your eyes glaze over, I urge you to look at this article. Our economy impacts world markets in significant ways and we as real estate professionals are sitting in the eye of the storm. None of us can afford to not understand the basic mechanics of what is happening.
Make More And Work Less With Smart Lead Generation And Development — Part IV
This article was originally posted on Active Rain in August 2007.
———————————————–
Yesterday, we talked about the various sources of new business to grow your real estate business and the importance of marketing to search engine consumers. Today, we look more in depth at two strategies for leveraging the search engines for generating new business.
Organic Ranking or Advertising — One, The Other or Both??
Having defined your audience (just like with offline marketing), your next step is to define your strategy for reaching this audience. There are two marketing strategies to pursue with the search engines – organic ranking and Continue reading “Make More And Work Less With Smart Lead Generation And Development — Part IV”