I’m excited for the opportunity to join the folks at the Hispanic Business Showcase because I think that there’s an opportunity there. I feel like the Hispanic Community is behind the curve in terms of adopting social media tools. I may be wrong, so if you have any good examples, I’d love to see them.

Two companies that come to mind in terms of embracing new media are: VivaReal.us and Frontera Estates. These are two start-ups that are doing well. Still I think that there’s opportunity for business of all shapes and sizes to benefit from some of the tools that are out there today; blogs, social networks, listening tools, etc. All of which we intend to discuss next week at this event.

Check out the schedule and if you’re interested in attending, registration is only $50. If you’re in the San Diego area, I’d love to meet you!

The Deal Auto DM’s:

I think people use auto-DM’s because they’ve gotten lazy. Too lazy to take the time to listen and engage. To me Twitter is about finding people with whom you share a common interest, sharing resources you find helpful, and being helpful to someone who might need your assistance. Once you’ve established that connection, if business happens, great. If it doesn’t, no worries, you move on but continue to be helpful.

Auto DM’s are the lazy man’s version of trying to bait someone into clicking on your link. Sure you might get a click or two here and there but personally, I don’t find it a very effective Call To Action. Do you?

In the end, consistency counts. And of course a little bit of know-how and strategy goes a long way too. If you’re in it for the short-term and you think this is the ultimately solution to your lead generation problems, you can forget it. Blogging and social media shouldn’t be your marketing strategy, instead, they should be a part of your marketing strategy.

With that said, how often do you update your real estate blog?

• Plugin’s and Themes for building a WordPress site that WOW’s your customers,
• Plugin’s that add functionality to your site’s design (on the front and back-end),
• Case Studies of Real Estate and Mortgage Professionals using WordPress as the foundation of their online presence,

Where You Come In:

I’m looking for examples of sites (in both Real Estate and Lending) who are using WordPress in a creative way! What are you doing that’s different? What are the results that you’re seeing? I’d love to hear from you and add your site to some of our featured Case Studies!

You can either drop a comment below to nominate someone or send an email to: ricardo (at) ricardobueno (dot) com.

Feel genuinely positive, even if it’s just about one little thing. And the energy radiates through the entirety of your world. – Ralph Marston

Positivity Builds Momentum:

When you feel positive about something, you feel confident. You stand tall. You walk tall. And you speak with a certain tone of confidence that just radiates through you. It makes the person listening to you feel confident about what you have to say. That positive energy, and that confidence, builds your momentum and gives you the energy you need to get moving towards doing great things.

So today, feel positive about one thing:

• About your website…
• About the way you dressed…
• About that proposal you submitted…
• About a finished project…
• About that job interview…

Feel genuinely positive (and confident) about the day ahead. Julien Smith reminds us that life doesn’t start tomorrow. So go out there, and feel positive about today, and do something good to build your momentum. Before the day ends, come back and share one positive accomplishment about your day

Just Do It!

The general school of thought says that you have to put a plan in place:

• What’s the blog about?
• How often will you post?
• How will you make money?
• How will you promote it?

Yes, those are all great questions. But sometimes, over-planning gets in the way of execution and progress. The sooner you start putting your thoughts down and publishing them in the digital space, the sooner you’ll start to understand the technology and it’s potential.

Your Digital Self

It’s great that you’re on networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Trulia Voices, etc. But nothing quite showcases your knowledge and personality like a blog. A blog helps you share the knowledge, insight and personality that makes you unique. The biggest challenge anyone has is that of determining how to stand out in a crowded marketplace. A blog is the perfect vehicle that allows you to demonstrate your uniqueness.

Don’t Know What To Say?

You’re a smart person. You have something to say. If your passion is real estate, talk about real estate. If you’re into paint-balling, talk about paint-ball. If you’re into horses, talk about horses. The point is, everyone has something to say about something.

Getting Started

Don’t worry about hosting and design (at least not yet). Your objective here is to focus on content and voice. On building a community and determining if this is something that you’d like to do over the long-term. If you find that it’s something that you really enjoy, then you’re ready to rock out with a design of your own.

Don’t Worry About Comments

Keep writing. Keep publishing. Stay focused and persist. People won’t always comment, that’s ok. It doesn’t mean that they’re not reading. Find ways to share your blog and your content with more people both on-line and off-line. And remember, it only takes one.

What are you waiting for?

What’s your blog’s url and what’s your blog about? Drop a note and a link to it in the comments. I’d love to see what you’re doing

Seth Godin & Tom Peters on Why Blogging Still Matters:

PHOTO CREDIT: schmeegan

I Don’t Friend Logos:

I have a simple rule: I don’t “friend” logos. Why? Here are a few reasons…

• First off, it’s too impersonal,
• (In most cases) all I get is spam in the form of blatant self-promotional Tweets or event invitations,
• It feels awkward talking to an unrecognizable logo (I wanna see who’s behind the logo). Unless, you’re a brand like Coca-Cola, it’s not gonna work…

How About You?

Do you set any restrictions on who you decide to “Friend” or “Follow” across different social networks? Do you use a logo to differentiate between your regular and business accounts? If so, what’s been your experience?

Samples of An Effective Call To Action:

modernhomesportland.com – Marisa Swenson is a Portland Real Estate Broker that caters to a very specific niche: Modern Homes. When you visit her blog, the first thing you see is the content (she has a thing header so most of the content is above the fold) and a Call To Action that reads: “See All MODERN HOMES In Portland – Sign Up Now.” If you’re in the market to buy real estate in Portland, Marisa sets you directly into the search process with a big blue button that says “Click Here.”

themortgagereports.com – Dan Green is a loan officer with Waterstone Mortgage. His blog offers all sorts of advice on the loan application process and interest rates. If you’re reading his blog and you’re in the market to refinance or are thinking of getting pre-approved for a home purchase loan, Dan makes it easy for you to get a rate quote. The big white box on the upper right-hand side reads: “Live Rate Quotes.” All you have to do is punch in your info and Dan will give you a quote. No waiting on hold, or punching numbers through an automated service. Just punch in some basic information and you’re well on your way.

Keeping It Simple & Making It Easy:

If one of your goal’s is to get business from your real estate blog, ask yourself how you’d like people to get in touch with you. Do you want them to “Call Now,” “Register,” “Subscribe,” etc.? In other words, what is your Call To Action? How are you making it easy for people to get in contact with you?

Look at your blog/website and ask yourself whether you’re making it easy for people to get in touch with you regarding new business opportunities. If you’re not, then you’re missing out…

Submit a design entry 5 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches before August 13th and if selected, you win $1,000 and your work is used as the cover for Guy Kawasaki’s new book, “Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions.”

There’s 178 design entries so far.

The contest is similar to the one Chris Brogan ran when designing his newest project, Man On the Go. And as with Chris Brogan’s contest, designers are uproar against Guy Kawasaki’s contest arguing against “Spec Work.”

The AIGA’s Position On Spec Work:

AIGA, the professional association for design, believes that professional designers should be compensated fairly for the value of their work and should negotiate the ownership or use rights of their intellectual and creative property through an engagement with clients.

AIGA acknowledges that speculative work—that is, work done prior to engagement with a client in anticipation of being paid—occurs among clients and designers. Instead of working speculatively, AIGA strongly encourages designers to enter into projects with full engagement to continue to show the value of their creative endeavor. Designers and clients should be aware of all potential risks before entering into speculative work. – Source: AIGA, The Professional Association for Design

I get it. You should value your time and your work and people interested in your services should pay for your time and work accordingly. There’s even a site dedicated to the fight against spec work: No-Spec.com. How many times have you been approached by someone asking you to do something for them for FREE in exchange for free press? It happens all the time and often times you can argue that it’s a Win-Lose scenario (the designer loses out).

BUT, What If…

• You’re a designer with a small or no portfolio?

Could this be just the type of publicity/opportunity to launch your portfolio? Guy Kawasaki is considered a “high profile” individual in social media circles. Does that justify entering this contest? The benefit in this case is the publicity/notoriety that comes with winning the contest. The risk of course is that you’re up against ~178 other designers (and only one will win out).

Where do you draw the line on spec work? Is it ever ok to do some spec work if the benefit outweighs the monetary reward? Does it ever? Have you ever done any spec work? Your thoughts in the comments please.

PHOTO CREDIT: twicepix