Image via Wikipedia

Pinterest is a rapidly growing social sharing site.

My first glance at the site, I thought to myself “this is kind of stupid…   …what’s the point?”.

Well, apparently I easily get hooked on “stupid” things.  After using it a while, I now believe Pinterest is a Realtors and Homebuilders dream come true.

About 6 weeks ago I pinned a photo of hardwood flooring on there, and didn’t think much of it.  It got repined a couple of times by other users.  What happened from there was absolutely astounding to me.  There is a current or force on Pinterest that if you can catch it your photo goes viral.  This photo somehow drifted into that current and traveled a long ways!  I had my settings to email me when someone repined or commented on one of my pins, my iPhone almost melted that day!  Currently that photo has over 5,800 re-pins and over  1,000 likes and continues to get re-pinned.

“yippie skippy” you say?

Look at this from an SEO perspective…  There are now over 5,800 link backs to my website and over 1,000 “likes” to my site.

People won’t really see that, but the Search Engines will.  This will tell the search engine that there is interest from Pinterest to my site, 6,800 references to be exact, and will help boost my SEO.

Look at it from a marketing perspective.. There are now over 5,800 links back to my website and over 1,000 “likes” to my site.

There is portion of these 6,800 people who will actually link to my site by clicking on the image which may give me a chance to capture their business.

Look at it from a Social perspective.  There are now over 5,800 links back to my website and over 1,000 “likes” to my site.

This has helped build a following on Pinterest that I can now engage with in a Social setting to share pictures with and grow my Sphere of Influence to help generate referral business.

Strategy

My strategy is to keep the sharing around the housing subject; design, improvement, decorating, and styles to keep my name associated with housing.   Re-pinning other peoples pins shows interest in them, and helps build a following.  At least 70% of pins are re-pins from Pinterest users, then I add in my own from my website and hope those go “viral”.  That doesn’t mean that is the only strategy, this is a social setting and  engage with people how you do it best.

There are many great agents that do a tremendous amount of business with their social networks that are engaging socially on a variety of subjects.  The bottom line is be yourself and let you personality shine through.  This is no different from any other social setting except it is online and not face to face…

When you begin to use Pinterest, remember – it is a social setting.  Share and be Social, don’t be the social nitwit that runs around the cocktail party with a flyer of their new listing and only talking about themselves.

Related articles

• How To Use Pinterest for Your Business (socialstrand.com)
• The Pinterest Addiction (socialamateur.com)
• Is Pinterest the Next Social Game Changer? (socialmediamarketinginstitute.com)

Do you rely on Third Party Aggregators for you business model?

Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com are the most well-known of these third-party aggregators and have been a force in the Real Estate Business for the last 5 years.  The business model of these sites is that the Broker submits their listing data to these sites for exposure, and then these sites turn around and sell zip codes to agents to then purchase the leads back from these sites generated by their brokers data.  If that sounds like insanity to you, well – then you are sane.  No business in their right mind would give their intellectual data to a third-party, then purchase the leads back from that third-party – when they could do it themselves for free.

Lately brokers have been catching on to this and there seems to be a nation wide trend by brokers to pull their data from these sites.  Edina Realty announced their plan in late November 2011 and a number of others followed suit.  Last week ARG Realty in California made their announcement on YouTube.

 

A Giant Leap Forward

This has sent shock waves throughout the industry  with many who are welcoming this change and others who are afraid of change.  Some critics are claiming this is “sending us back to the darkages”.  I disagree strongly with that statement; this is not a step back but rather a giant leap forward.  The internet is evolving at rapid speed  and to believe we can hang on to marketing strategies that worked 4 years ago on the internet denial of reality.  The people who are resistant to this change and spend their time arguing against it, finding fault and trying to point out hypocrisy with the brokers who have made this decision will ultimately get run over as this change  is happening.   I can empathize with the naysayers in that I understand change is difficult, it is even more difficult if your entire business plan in predicated on buying leads from these third-party aggregators.

Embrace this change or get run over.

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you like this change or not, it is here and it is real.  The changes taking place are at the core of the changes that are taking place on the internet.  Google and the Social Media world is changing everything about the internet and if we don’t adapt we will become dinosaurs.

SEO is still an important role for brokers to generate interest in their listings, and with the changes taking place at Google this is becoming easier for small brokers to compete.  You no longer need the big behemoth dinosaurs like Trulia, Zillow and Realtor.com.  You can achieve SEO on your own through local blogging and social media.  Get to understand SoLoMo (Social, Local, Mobil) strategies.

The first step in embracing this change is to get on board.  By submitting your listing to these Third Party Aggregators you are in fact hurting your own SEO.  There is a great article by Ag Beat the points out how these aggregators are using black hat SEO tactics.  While some may spend time arguing the definition of black hat SEO tactics, the point remains the same.

For years, third-party real estate media sites have been under scrutiny by SEO experts for using what some call “questionable tactics” as they are accused of hurting real estate brokerages’ ability to achieve search engine visibility for their own websites. Many fought against the multi-million dollar sites years ago, but most have given up and accepted the SEO competition as an inevitability.

 

Read Full Article from Ag Beat

The fact is that by submitting your listings (aka “intellectual property”) to these sites – you are building their SEO and not your own.  By simply pulling your listings from them, they begin to lose their SEO power.  Then you need to begin an aggressive SEO and social media strategy.

As Google begins to also rank SEO by Social it is going to be even more important to be engaged with the customers online through a thoughtful social media strategy.

Dawn of a New Day

Image via Wikipedia

Don’t be afraid of this change, we can once again approach marketing real estate online in much the same fashion as we did prior to the internet.  Word of mouth, Referrals, personal relationship is where this is all heading online – and dinosaurs like Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com will be relegated to the ash heap of history unless they make drastic changes.

What are your business plans on marketing online?  Are you going to continue to use the third-party aggregator model or are you going to capitalize on the new opportunities the internet changes are providing our industry?

You make the call, but my prediction is these third-party aggregators are quickly becoming dinosaurs in this rapidly changing world of online marketing.

Related articles

• Are Third Party Real Estate Aggregator Sites Using Black Hat SEO Tactics to Block Real Estate Brokers? (johnmurphyreports.com)
• ARG Abbott Realty Group Pulls Listings from Real Estate Syndicators – Hammers Zillow, Trulia and REALTOR.com (johnmurphyreports.com)
• Edina Realty: Because Leadership Matters (matthewferrara.com)
• Third party real estate sites’ alleged black hat SEO tactics (agbeat.com)
• Edina Realty discontinues 3rd Party Sites like Trulia and Realtor.com (craigkamman.com)
• Third party real estate listing companies, too big to fail? (agbeat.com)

The magical formula of 3 shelf life pieces to your Sphere a year, often include “calendars”, “sport schedules”, “magnets”, and other “gizmos”  The idea on these is to keep your name present in their minds.

Consistency and Shelf Life were key aspects to success of any marketing campaign.

Blogging and Social Media are no different.

Image via CrunchBase

“Google is Forever” as the saying goes…  Once you submit your blog post about your real estate niche – it is out on Google and will remain searchable for as long as you leave it.

This is a dream come true for the real estate industry…  Free, and Long Shelf Life.  Where we struggle as an industry is Consistency.

My old blog posts still get page views from Google Searches.  I also find the business I pick is up from my blog is from older posts.

So keep the Consistency going on this free marketing with long shelf life, you are bound to post a few posts that will bring in business down the road.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I was at a speaker luncheon last week and he was preaching how important Facebook was for Real Estate.  I agree.  He went on to say that you should only be posting on a Facebook Fan Page for real estate,  so once you get a big following you won’t have it taken away from you from Facebook for violating their terms.  There is truth in that statement…

Posting Strategy

What got me was his Posting Strategy.  He professed posting funny videos with Pets and Kids that will get a big laugh, this will draw in followers and likes.  This is true….  BUT, do you want Likes or do you want business?

What happens if you get a 1,000 or 2,000 “Likes” but no one is there about your Product or Service?  They are there because they want a chance to win “a free give-a-way” or they want to see the funny postings…  Are you going to be able to sell to this audience, or did you attract an audience for the purpose of attracting an audience?

Are you in the Comedy business?  Or is your goal to attract your potential customers?

Would you be better off having 10 followers of potential customers or 1000 followers that just want to see funny videos and pictures?

There is some SEO and strategic advantage to gaining a large following base, such as expanding your audience to try to reach others you may not have otherwise been able to reach.  But I question that because they may only see you as the comedian and not an industry professional, plus your SEO will potentially  be under the wrong subjects in the Search Engines..

Image by Getty Images via @daylife "Interviewing Agents to Sell her Home"

If funny videos and pictures are your personality, then I see it as more beneficial being that is a genuine “you” that you are communicating to your to potential audience.   Just be careful on the balance of content – not to many people seek a Clown to buy or sell their home from…

There is another Posting Strategy..

Perhaps a posting strategy of important industry information that a consumer would want to know about.  Portray yourself as the credible source and an industry expert to build their trust and earn their “Likes”.

If you are a builder, this might include Home Designs, New Technology in Homes, Energy Efficiency, and Photos of your completed homes.

For Realtors, this would be industry news such as mortgage rates, local news including School district news and local events.   Lots and lots of home photos, design tips, remodeling tips, contractor reviews – the ideas are limitless.  There are TV networks dedicated to this topic, certainly you can come up with content that people love about Homes…

By using this strategy, you will become recognized as a professional and knowledgeable about the industry.  Your SEO will also be reflective of this subject.

This is harder to gain the “Likes” and will take time, but they will be higher quality “Likes” and Fans.

Related articles

• How To Get More Facebook Likes The Old-Fashioned Way (adrsocialmedia.com)
• How to get more Facebook likes for your fan page (marketing.yell.com)

I cam across a great infographic on Jeff Bula’s blog of an infographic on this very question created by Schools.com

Related articles

• Why Social Media is a must for Realtors and Builders (dawabbit.com)
• 71% More Likely to Purchase Based on Social Media Referrals [Infographic] (hubspot.com)

After your first year in the business, you were ready to be the instructor.

The same is true with Social Media and Blogging.  We hear social media and blogging terms and language and our eyes gloss over and we think to ourselves, this is way to complicated, what am I doing here?  I can’t do this...

And we get Frustrated when we can’t get the computer to do what we want it to do..

The reality is that is not complicated, it is just learning a new language like we had to do getting into real estate.  After a while, you begin to see how it all works and understand how simple this really this.

One of the problems with learning to use social media is you jump into a arena where the resources are instructing to the choir of people who already speak the language.  There isn’t that “bridge” to go from “no knowledge” to “understanding”.

To help cross that “bridge”, go to Dialing 8′s website and use their great “Glossary” as a reference.  If you are reading something, look up the term, this will shave hours off the learning process and reduce frustration.

Dialing 8 Glossary

I also recommend joining Dialing8.  They are a great resource when you get stuck on something.  A social media and blogging coach, to help guide you.  It is not a lot of money and will save you that 10 fold on helping you avoid wasting time as you learn this stuff.  After all, you have real estate sell – why spend those valuable hours trying to teach yourself, get an assistant to help you – Dialing8.

Related articles

• A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name (adrsocialmedia.wordpress.com)
• Embracing Change and Erasing Confusion with Dialing 8 (converstations.com)
• Play Social Media Where the Target Is [Video Clip] (dialing8.com)

Image by the tartanpodcast via Flickr

Inman News  published a report done by InmanNext outlining a survey of Realtors.   The findings are quite interesting.

Among the biggest bang for the buck:
1. Their past clients/referrals.
2. Their website.
3. Their social media presence.
4. Their lawn signs.
5. Their search engine efforts.

We have discussed using Facebook to connect with your Past Clients and Sphere for referrals.  It is no surprise this ranks #1.   What is interesting is with these top earners that Their Website, Their Social Media Presence, and Their Search Engine efforts rank very high on their list.

Their Report goes on to narrow down what the Top Earners are doing to be successful.  Social Media is gaining more and more importance…  What are you doing for your Social Media, SEO, and website?

Agents earning $100,000 or more said that, on average, they spend $7,500 annually for marketing and $3,750 annually for technology, and 98 percent said that email marketing was their most effective way to convert leads into sales.

Also, those agents earning $100,000 or more are more likely to be using social media for business purposes than lesser-earning agents, the survey found.

Read more from Inman on what the top Agents are doing.

Related articles

• Why Social Media is a must for Realtors and Builders (dawabbit.com)
• Top 5 Social Media Tips for Real Estate Agents To Sell that House (socialstrand.com)
• Social Media for Past Clients (dawabbit.com)

Real Estate has always been the one purchase that consumers rely heavily on “referrals” from friends.  We in the industry make a good portion of our business on “referrals”.

The Consumers are searching for a trustworthy professional for their largest purchase and rely on their friends “referral” of a good Agent or Builder for them.

With Social Media, we now take this “referral” network and communication to an entirely new level.  So if you are thinking you don’t want to do Social Media, rephrase that to “I don’t want to do referral business”….

Great infographic from HubSpot

Related articles

• Where buyers come from 2011 NAR, how important is the internet in real estate? (dawabbit.com)
• Real Estate internet marketing for 2012 goes Old School. (dawabbit.com)
• 33 Must-Know Stats about Modern Real Estate Customers (matthewferrara.com)
• Top 5 Social Media Tips for Real Estate Agents To Sell that House (socialstrand.com)

Image via Wikipedia

The hottest new site making a big splash in 2012. is Pinterst.

If you are not familiar with Pinterest, it is new craze of photo sharing.

I would describe it as, a group of friends sitting in a living room sharing pictures out of magazines.  In a general sense that is a fair description, but it is more than that..

How does this apply to Real Estate?

Imagine your listing photos getting shared by 1,000 people with a link back to your website.  Does that sound like it could have a positive impact?

Imagine building a circle of online friends that share the same interests?  Does that sound like it could have a positive impact?

Imagine this “marketing” is actually simple and fun to do.

Example Pinterest Board

That is what you have in Pinterest.

How to approach Pinterest for Real Estate:

We all know that home purchases decisions are made on emotion.  The emotion is triggered by an image or impression of a “Lifestyle”.  So really when we are selling homes, we are selling a “Lifestyle”.

Approach Pinterest from a Lifestyle perspective.  Are you selling the Lifestyle of Lakeshore living, Historic Homes, or maybe New Homes, or maybe even Urban Living?

Set up your Boards on Pinterest to focus in on the different Lifestyle aspects of what you are selling.  

In the example of New Homes, perhaps have a board dedicated to photos of New Kitchens and a board of Home Exteriors, Bathrooms, Landscaping, Family gatherings etc.

In the example of Lakeshore living, perhaps have a board dedicated to photos of sailing, fishing, or maybe one of  Sunsets or Docks, swimming, etc…

Build a Following:

You will need to build a Following first, so don’t just post your Listing photos on there – get out and Socialize.  Repin photos from others on Pinterest and put them into the appropriate board on your Page.

Figure at least 70% of your photos  should be a re-pin from someone elses board.  What you are doing when you repin, like and comment others is saying “hey – I like your style!” – and they will begin to reciprocate.

Once you have gained a small following, continue that practice and begin to occasionally add photos from your website of your listings to Pinterest.  Do this by re pinning from your website, not uploading directly to Pinterest.  By doing it this way, there will be a link to your website that follows that photo no matter how many times it is re-pinned.

Chrome has an extension that will allow you to right-click on a photo on your website and select “Pin to Pinterest” – this will allow the link to your website to follow that photo as it gets re-pinned hundreds of times.

Results:

Over time you will become know as the Lakeshore resource, or the New Home resource, or the Urban Living resource.  Your followers/friends may run into someone who is looking at buying lakeshore, and they may then say “I know who you should talk to! ” – because they associate you with Lakeshore and Real Estate.   You will be making  friends and building your Sphere of Influence while having fun and “marketing” at the same time.

I don’t know for sure, but whoever came up with the idea for Pinterest MUST have had Realtors and Builders in mind when they built this!

Happy Pinning!

Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like an invitation to get onto Pinterest.

Related articles

• Has Pinterest Pinned Down the Future of the Web? (futurelab.net)
• Do You Have An Interest in Pinterest? (ogilvypr.com)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

It’s Monday Morning in the real estate business, you are tired from your Open Houses and running around this weekend but the rest of the world goes back to work today and you need to wrap some things up from the weekend.

Coming up with a blog post seems difficult on Monday mornings.  Here are some ideas for Monday morning blog posts for Realtors:

Open House/Model update:

Report on traffic or maybe some pictures of the home or pictures of the neighborhood.

Open House Questions:

Post a question that was asked at the Open House/Model and answer it.  If a potential buyer asked you in person, chances are other will be Googling the same question.

Mortgage Rates:

This is an easy filler especially if you have an in-house lender.  Make a short post about the mortgage rates with contact information and links back to your lender.

Home Details:

While at your Open House, take a few pictures of the home.  Maybe you take a picture of the Furnace, and explain the Furnace system including maintenance and changing filters tips.  Or maybe you discuss Design features or other home systems.

The point is to get something out there, your potential customers will be searching for information early in the week about Real Estate in your area.  Be their source of information.

Related articles

• Blog Posts – Renovation vs New Construction (dawabbit.com)
• Blogging for SEO (dawabbit.com)