Today I found out that our Danville San Ramon Real Estate Blog is ranked in the Top 100 real estate blogs by Technorati. It got me to thinking about marketing, rankings, blogging, branding – you know, the whole gamut of getting the word out about your business or service.

In the this fast-paced world of Internet everything, your business needs to be like a shark – no, not predatory – it needs to keep moving or die. Sharks need to keep moving to breathe. Business needs to keep moving, evolving, morphing to keep abreast of trends, tastes and innovation – try selling a rotary dial phone to a restaurateur, without the retro motif.

Inbound, Outbound, Upside, Downside – Marketing lives and dies by word of mouth. Sooner or later, the customer has the final say on success and longevity.

Walk the talk – we hear it over and over again – image and actions need to match the messages and the promises. It’s not a rare occurrence to find myself thinking – Who you are is speaking louder than words!

What’s in YOUR marketing message?

Driving sales is pointless (in many businesses) without the hope of repeat sales. Even in a business like real estate where it may be 5 or 10 years between home purchases, word of mouth marketing is the repeat sale.

Anyone can dress in a suit and present a professional image, but do their actions, words and integrity permeate their business deals and life. Success at business means success at life. We can’t turn our integrity on and off. That kind of belief seeps through our pores and eventually surfaces into the awareness of our clients and customers.

REALTORs share something with used-car salesmen – the general public’s bad opinion of them. These are two of the professions that are way down on the public’s confidence/integrity meter.

The gent in the pic above looks professional and reliable, though his message may be more about him than you. Spend a few minutes in a room listening to him and we might begin to see him like the gent to the right.

Be all that you can be.   Be the best that you can be.

These words sound great, even inspiring, but they’re just words – look at the difference in image behind them and what they are being used for – day & night.

I can’t hear you – who you are is speaking louder than words!

Back in 1997 it was difficult to convince business owners that they needed a website. A website, at that time, was way down on the list of priorities for most business owners. It was unfortunate, because the early adopters are reaping the rewards of great search engine placement and will be for years to come – if they keep up with the ever changing face of Internet marketing.

We recently took on a guitar instructor as a client. These days, we don’t go seeking business as we are busy enough. Friends with projects keep approaching us and if it grabs our interest, we will help them with the basics of Internet marketing.

Internet marketing works for any business whether it is recycling used cooking oil, providing temporary fencing, or renting portable toilets.

Selling real estate in San Ramon & Danville CA remains one of our priorities.

Each business has its challenges and needs when it comes to Internet marketing as does keeping up with the ever evolving Internet.

I had my brother write me a check on his Chase Bank business account to reimburse me for a business expense I covered. Thinking it would be no problem to cash the check at his Chase Bank in San Ramon CA, I headed over there.

It was no problem – as long as I was willing to let Chase Bank charge me a $6 fee to cash a check written on their bank because I didn’t have an account there. Is it any wonder that consumers are fed up with big banks? They seem to have a license to steal from consumers and the support of Congress to boot.

Big banks, like Chase, are in the news a lot these days as consumers and account holders vent their frustration and anger at an institution that seems to hold itself above accountability to it’s depositors. I closed my accounts at Wells Fargo, my father closed his at Bank of America.

Here is what my brother said when I called him and told him that Chase Bank was going to charge $6 to cash the check he had just written to me: “Ever since Chase Bank took over Washington Mutual, they have started charging unwarranted fees and nickle and diming us to death. I’m going to close that account and bank with USAA.”

Well, I’ve been banking with USAA for years now. It’s amazing how small banks can survive and thrive without picking the pockets of their customers. If you use your USAA ATM card at any bank – USAA does not charge a fee for the first 10 ATM withdrawals and refunds up to $15 in other banks’ ATM usage fees each month.

I can’t imagine why an average consumer would continue to do business with a big bank like Chase. They all had a big part in the subprime mess, they had the taxpayers bail them out and then have turned around and started charging their customers unwarranted fees to what? – continue rewarding their executive staffs for decisions that have played a big part in taking the economy to the brink of ruin?

Other than being too lazy to bother, why would anyone continue to bank with the people who seem to think the middle class is there for nothing more than to finance their lifestyle and guarantee profits… oh give me a break! It’s only 6$ here and $5 there and $3 there and…

Takeover talk swirls over Yahoo says the headline in USA Today and the first sentence of the article is a question – Is there a “for sale” sign on Yahoo’s front lawn?

Is “Rest in Peace” inevitable for Yahoo!? What a shame that would be. Yahoo! once a visionary and leader in online community dying a languishing death which in my opinion is the result of one thing – lack of real vision.

Like many Internet success stories, Yahoo! began with dynamic vision, but also like many Internet successes Yahoo! has fallen victim to a loss of visionary capacity that seemed unable to keep up with the light-speed evolution of the Internet and social networking. A little ironic given that Yahoo! was one of the pioneers of online community.

Having been in the business of creating websites and working with small businesses with online marketing since 1995, I have watched Yahoo! slide in relevance from “must have” to just another part of the mix. In accessing my gray-matter data bank, my search results say that I have used Yahoo! less than half a dozen times in the past year for anything of significance.

What Yahoo! needs to survive is a radical new vision and course of action that takes it off the “following everyone else” path (hoping to get a piece of the pie) and onto a completely new path that would have everyone else jumping tracks to get a piece of Yahoo’s pie.

How could they do this? Simple, in my opinion. But, then all I have is a simple vision, something that is hard to sell these days to businesses crowded with tenth-generation MBAs who know so much, but seem to lack the creative, dynamic vision to even save Yahoo! with all of its resources and talent.

Seldom do we find money growing on trees, a goose laying golden eggs or the proverbial cash cow in our backyard. Many successful REALTORS have the next best thing, a farm that produces real estate transactions year after year. Successful farming in real estate takes commitment, consistency and perseverance.

Making the decision to farm a specific neighborhood, community or condo complex is not something to rush into – unless you have a need to waste time and money.

A real estate farm isn’t a neighborhood or houses – it’s people.

Being seen as a part of the community, whether or not you live there, is critical. Host events, organize garage sales, meet people by walking the neighborhood, serve on the HOA board, volunteer for school events, local sports coaching, sponsorship, etc

Top considerations to develop a successful real estate farm:

• Size – Is it big enough-know your numbers. Depending on the turnover, a farm of 500 – 1000 homes in a neighborhood is a good place to start.
• Price point – Will this market’s average price point support your goals and objectives?
• Turnover – How many homes sell per year on average, is this enough to support your goals and objectives?
• Community Issues – How are the schools? Are their pending developments in the community? Parks? Sports? Location issues –freeway proximity? Railway, etc? Close to jobs? Shopping? Airport noise?
• Economic & Demographics – What are the community & regional trends? How’s the job market and the economic forecast for the area? What are the social demographics and trends?
• Proximity to Home or Work – Is it practical to service this area? The best farms are where you live and work for two reasons: a) you already know people there and b)your company has brand recognition there already by virtue of your office sign.
• Competition – Who is the competition? Ask a friend in the neighborhood to save all real estate pieces you receive in the mail. (Even if you live in the same neighborhood you are most likely not getting all the same pieces, as a savvy competitor will remove you from their list, knowing it is a waste of money to send marketing pieces to licensed REALTORS).
• Sellers or Buyers - By representing sellers in your neighborhood, you will gradually develop a brand as the community expert, so buyers will gravitate toward working with you since you will know of future listings in the area. When you do a good job these same buyers will become your future sellers!

You can leverage the internet and social media to give you the competitive edge in real estate farming. Remember, future buyers and sellers will use this media more and more over time, be ahead of the curve with your presence, so when they do use it – you are already there!

Next Post on Using Social Media to Dominate Your Real Estate Niche Market:

• Check back in a day or two for the next post in the series

(Read the entire series on Niche Marketing in Real Estate)

Choosing the right niche market in real estate can be as easy as going with your established expertise & experience. When we are passionate about something, we generally become very knowledgeable about it. What are you passionate about? Where’s your expertise?

Don’t put all your eggs in one big basket by becoming just another REALTOR – a real estate agent that simply does it all as needed. Excel & stand out in some area that sets you apart and calls attention to specific areas of expertise.

Don’t spread your marketing dollars too thin- easy to do if you are trying to cover all of the bases of being just another real estate agent. Effective niche marketing is about going deep in a narrow segment. Niche Marketing or Affinity Marketing is about being top of mind in a smaller segment which will provide you “brand recognition” rather than trying to compete with all the other professionals in “blanket marketing” of a larger segment.

As a niche expert, we want to stress our ability to solve the problems and handle the unexpected within our niche market. Communicating and educating are the primary activities associated with successful niche marketers. What do your niche clients need or need to know? What changes in the industry or market will impact your niche? What are the market trends in your niche?

Create a resource of vendors and resources that is valuable to your niche. Become a recognized “connector” for your niche.

Connectors are said by author Malcolm Gladwell to be people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. Connectors usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles.

Blogging & social media are perfect venues to establish and support your recognition as a niche market expert. Learning how to use Internet and social media search effectively will help you to locate the specific people who are in need of your expertise.

Next Post on Using Social Media to Dominate Your Real Estate Niche Market:

• Real Estate Niche Marketing – Geographical Farming

(Read the entire series on Niche Marketing in Real Estate)

Four things to consider when deciding on YOUR niche:

1)   Is this niche enough to sustain your business model? Know your numbers.

2)   Can you easily access this target group?

3)   How will you connect with this group? How do they like to communicate?

4)   Do you have an affinity or commonality for this group? How can you build relationship with this segment?

RESPA – As a Realtor or Real Estate Agent, RESPA does not prohibit you from branding yourself as a specialist to any group of people or promoting yourself as such. What RESPA does do, is prohibit you from discriminating against anyone due to race, religion, sex, etc. So, you can be a “single woman homeowner” specialist, belong to “single women groups,” and promote yourself as such as long as you continue to sell your “single woman” client’s home to whomever wants to buy it.

The largest, most powerful niche market in real estate, at least in North America, is single women. Single women homeowners are the second largest demographic of homeowners in the U.S. and Canada. Realtors who want to distinguish themselves as women homeowner experts can do so without violating RESPA. As a woman homeowner expert, you can belong to women business networks, women social networks, women golf groups and the like – all without violating RESPA.

Mix & Match to Find Your Niche

• Gender
• Age - Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers, Seniors
• Property Type – Condos, Single Family, Beach, Golf, Horse, Mountain, Ski, Vacation, Luxury, City, Country, Distressed (Short Sale / Foreclosure ), You Name It
• Same Sex Partners
• Ethnic Groups – Hispanic, Chinese, Indian, French, etc. If you are from another country and speak the language, a blog in your native language is a powerful way to bring your countrymen to you.
• Buyers – First Time, Move Up, Investor
• Sellers – Homeowner, Estate (Probate, Heir), Bank or Lending Institution
• Associations (Religious, Community, Professional, Sports, etc.) – Alumni, Golf Club, Poker Club, Newcomers Club, Masons, Elks, PTA, Soccer, You Name It
• Geographical Farm – neighborhood specialist

The Internet & social media make it possible for consumers to find the specific person, group or item of interest to them. This is why niche marketing is exploding today as never before. The Internet makes it possible to find a Realtor who specializes in helping red-headed, green-eyed, guitar players with 3-legged dogs. Social media makes it possible to for all red-headed, green-eyed, guitar players with 3-legged dogs to interact with each other online.

Next Post on Using Social Media to Dominate Your Real Estate Niche Market:

• Niche Experts Needed in Real Estate

(Read the entire series on Niche Marketing in Real Estate)

The return on investment for implementing a social media marketing strategy for your business comes in two forms: 1) revenue and 2) social media capital.

Every real estate agent we know of that has implemented a social media marketing strategy and worked it diligently for at least a year can attribute closed escrows directly to their online efforts. It is always a good business practice to ask new clients or potential clients how they find us. Knowing which marketing and branding efforts are paying the best dividends is critical to controlling costs and maximizing ROI.

Social media capital can come in many forms: comments on blog posts, being mentioned or quoted in other blog posts, having journalists contact us, having people “friend” us on Facebook, people following us on Twitter, retweeting us, having people reach out to us on LinkedIn, and etc. In short, social media capital, is gaining recognition, influence and value in the various social media venues.

The obvious value in social media capital is the potential of hundreds or thousands of fans promoting us and our interests to their followings. Word of mouth marketing operates online at a faster pace and to a greater audience – a.k.a – viral marketing.

We build social media capital in the eyes of readers and potential clients when they begin to perceive us as experts in matters of real estate and our niche market expertise.

Using blogs, short videos, tweets and status updates helps us to market our core competencies and branding. When we integrate all of these components and more into a synergistic effort, we create a very concentrated message spread across many venues that reinforce each other and the message.

Social media marketing is an excellent venue for direct response marketing if done right. Many people new to social media marketing make the mistake of treating social media as a venue for broadcast advertising.

Next Post on Using Social Media to Dominate Your Real Estate Niche Market:

• Real Estate Niche Markets

(Read the entire series on Niche Marketing in Real Estate)

Every friend or follower needs to realistically represent real potential business and not just increased numbers. Why? Because social media is about building relationships and engaging people in ongoing conversations. This increases the time and attention demands of that relationship and exponentially increases the demands on your time and attention as your networks grow – unless you believe that broadcasting will grow your business.

Broadcasting is one of the big mistakes being made by business people in the use of social media. The misguided assumption is to collect thousands of friends or followers and I’ll (as the business owner) will just broadcast my marketing messages with little or no real interaction. Hello, have you been listening – it’s all about relationships.

As real estate agents, we know that our sphere of influence and our past clients are our greatest asset. More than 50% of our business often comes from these relationships. Think of the time and attention it takes to establish each of these invaluable relationships. Our social media content needs to establish a good “first impression” and engage our audience in a way that inspires them to “move toward” us – leaving a comment, asking a question, friending us, following us, emailing us, etc.

The old adage – who you are, speaks louder than words – is just as true online as off. It’s not just the words we use, it’s how we use them. If our content is consistently dry, droll business broadcast advertising – we are doomed to fail in our social media efforts. The people we are attempting to engage are just like us -

• Is our social media content of value to us?
• Would it engage us, if we stumbled upon it?
• Would it motivate us to come back for more or take action?
• If not, then how can we expect it to attract others?

This is why choosing a niche that you are passionate about is so valuable – we naturally include our passion, interest and enthusiasm into our social media content. Who we are shows up louder than our words and, more often than not, it is our passion and enthusiasm that connects with people than the content.

Next Post on Using Social Media to Dominate Your Real Estate Niche Market:

• Social Media (ROI) Return on Investment

(Read the entire series on Niche Marketing in Real Estate)

Are you unwittingly applying the Law of Distraction to your online marketing efforts?

If we want to use social media effectively to bring in new business, we need to apply the “law of attraction” to our efforts. Simply put, the social media law of attraction is this – every action we take is intended to attract the attention & interest of potential clients. If our interest in using social media is to increase our business and branding, then this has to be our fundamental orientation.

Young people were the creators and early adopters of social media. Consequently, social media was originally a venue for young people to communicate and interact in the way they always have – with a lot chit chat and goofball stuff that is age appropriate for them, but not necessarily the best way for professional REALTORs to attract new business.

Unfortunately, many real estate agents make the mistake of adopting social media in the same manner, like they are back in college or high school. By the time they give serious consideration to using social media as an effective business strategy, they have populated the Internet with a lot of content that may work against them, not for them.

Does this mean that we can’t have fun and socialize via social media? Not at all, to be effective for business purposes, we need to first understand how to use social media to generate business and then we need to implement a plan in a manner that takes into consideration the two species that will be reading our content – humans and robots (search engines). Depending on our immediate goals, our content will be directed at one or the other of these readers, or both of them simultaneously.

The art form we want to develop is the ability to write for humans and robots simultaneously while at the same time writing for business in a way that is conversational and engaging for potential clients and friends.

Next Post on Using Social Media to Dominate Your Real Estate Niche Market:

• Social Media Value Proposition

(Read the entire series on Niche Marketing in Real Estate)