Web Real Estate Marketing

Google is watching your every move :-(

Peter Toner — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:44:40 +0000

This is a quick follow up post ..

.. to the one we wrote about Google and Facebook tracking your movements across the web.

Not to alarm you or anything, but you might want to watch this and then check out the plugin for Chrome & Firefox to see which sites you visit are affected.

As it happens we have Google Analytics enable on this blog so I guess the super annoying vuvuzela like alarm will be blowing here to

How to succeed in Social Media

Drew Burks — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:58:44 +0000

There are 3 critical components to online success as a real estate agent that …

… Drew talks about in the introduction to our new Realtor video training series.

The Internet has changed the fortunes of many real estate agents over the last 10 to 15 years. Early adopters and techies leveraged this new frontier for others to follow in their footsteps and learn how it was done.

Except that now the cheese has moved …

… and many agents are just blithely unaware or rooted in fear and inaction.

The new social media tools at our disposal have opened up a literal Pandora's box if you know how to adapt and use these tools to your advantage to build Trust – one of the 3 critical factors for success.

Remember that Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and YouTube are all free.

This isn't the only reason that we recommend them of course but is is a factor. See, most real estate agents could trade time rather than money – in fact it's the smartest move that many Realtors could make at this time.

We stand on the forefront of a major change in the real estate space once again.

Are you going to stand by, or or you going to take action?

Start by watching this game changing video.

Free social media video lessons!

Peter Toner — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:29:14 +0000

Drew & Peter have been working day and night …

… to bring you exclusive video tutorials that will help you get up to speed with social media in your real estate business!

We are today starting with an introductory video in which Drew outlines the 3 essentials of succeeding on the web today.

The first of the training videos is about using WordPress and in particular a super SEO program that guides you to better search engine optimization.

The second video is about Facebook – in this video we give an overview of how Facebook works and give away a free Fan Page template! We also link to a free wysiwyg editor to customize it.

The third video in the series Drew and Peter will go over the principles of video marketing and we will actually demonstrate how to take a video with a inexpensive Flip camera, upload it to YouTube and then post on a blog.

The fourth video will be about how Facebook and the "Like" button. Why it will change the way the web works and why Realtors need to be paying very close attention.

Click over now to get started!

There are alternate links to the videos so they can be viewed on an iPad or iPhone too.

We hope you will watch all four videos -

- they will absolutely help you get up to speed with Social Media and the four free platforms we recommend – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and WordPress.

Speaking at Inman RE Connect SF 2010

Drew Burks — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:38:34 +0000

Sharing the stage with Nik Nik and Dale Chumbley was incredible!

Being invited to speak at the Inman Real Estate Connect SF 2010 was really a dream come true.

My session was called:

"Facebook bigger than Google?"

During the past ten years I have been to more conferences than I can remember and I can definitely say that I met way more people as a result of being involved as a speaker.

Of course the recognition and authority by association was awesome, but the really cool thing was the feeling I had from being involved and sharing my passion for all things Social Media.

Speaking at Inman was something I have wanted to do for the past year or so and I am still kind of shocked that I was chosen to speak.

I am not really so sure that I was chosen, but more so was given the opportunity.

You see, I simply asked a few people about speaking and a few days later I got the email invitation to be a speaker.

There is a lesson to be learned here, dreams are within your reach …

… you just need to take the action and sometimes ask for what you want.

Are you comment phobic?

Peter Toner — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:14:13 +0000

Why do some Realtors insist on making it difficult for your blog visitors …

… to leave comments on their real estate blog sites?

Some real estate agents just don't get it

I think they might be worried that they will have to engage with the online equivalent of this guy!

The big difference between a static web site and a Web 2.0 site in the built in two way interaction made possible by the platform.

You want visitors to interact with you, to ask questions or take issue with your opinions (you have an opinion right?) – it's a real chance to show you are a real person with expertise and knowledge.

WordPress has by default a nicely done comment function that is easily configurable. But if you make the wrong selections you make it hard to comment and you will put off your visitors.

Here's how: While logged into your WordPress blog, go to Settings and Discussion -

Anyone Can Register – check the box
Users must be registered and logged in to comment - don't check the box
New user default – choose "contributor"

Under email me whenever anyone:

Posts a comment – check the box
A comment is held for moderation – check the box

Before a comment appears:

An administrator must always approve a comment – do not check the box
Comment author must fill out name and email – check the box

Here is a visual – click the image for a larger one

So let me expand on that a little:

Anyone can register: No good reason to restrict who can register, you want it to be easy for people to comment on your articles.

Email me whenever anyone posts a comment. I like to know if I have received a comment. If it is a good comment, I would like the opportunity to respond to the comment. If it's spam or trash, I would like to know so I can get rid of it quickly.

I want to be emailed so that I can click on their comment and it will take me to my blog dashboard.

Now you know what to do to set up WordPress comments properly, go ahead and make the changes. Be sure to let us know if interaction on your site improves.

Make sure you add Facebook' "Like" button on your site too because it looks like there is a trend to take the conversation over to Facebook.

Anonymous web surfing? Ahh, No

Peter Toner — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:04:53 +0000

Surfing the web anonymously is pretty much impossible …

….without paying close attention or using special software tools to cloak your activities.

Here is the thing: if you don't actually log out of Facebook your movements and web site surfing is tracked and recorded and WILL be used against you. For an idea of how see our previous post about the Facebook "Like" button.

Same with Google, sign into Analytics or Gmail and fail to log out you get the same result.

The other day my wife did a Google search for an old work colleague, a day or so later that person popped up as a suggested friend on Facebook.

Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not

Do you have any similar stories?

Please share!

Free Blog Friday

Drew Burks — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:22:30 +0000

Announcing "Free Blog Friday"

We believe that every Real Estate Agent wants and needs a WordPress Blog and we definitely get that taking the first step is always the most difficult …

… so we are going make you an offer you can't refuse!

We will setup your WordPress Blog and any theme you choose for free.

We aren't going to stop there – we will even install & configure the top six "must have wordpress plugins" for you.

So how do you get your FREE Blog?

Step 1 - you have to purchase a domain name! If you already have one that you want to use, no problem move on to the next step. We do have some advice is choosing an appropriate real estate domain name.

Step 2 – **you have to purchase your own hosting account! See below.

Step 3 – fill out the form below to request your FREE blog setup. You will receive an email from us asking you to confirm your email. You will receive confirmation that your request has been received. This email will also include a private link so that you can RSVP for a thirty (30) minute live Q & A Webinar with Drew & Peter.

We are going to make this a regular feature – signup and we will have your blog ready every Friday!

What's the catch?

Here it is …. **you have to buy your hosting through our affiliate link at HostGator.

But there is a BONUS too!

We have negotiated a $9.94 discount, which is basically a FREE MONTH of service.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, you don't pay any more than you would if you bought monthly hosting without using our link.

Click here to get your hosting.

You want to select the "baby" hosting plan please make sure you use the coupon code "FridayBlog" (without the quotes) to get your FREE MONTH.

Please enter your name and email to get the ball rolling!

Super interview with Chris Pearson on Thesis

Peter Toner — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:28:02 +0000

Just got back from Inman Connect in San Francisco …

… what a great show and a really super event. Met lots of old friends and made some really great new ones – some of our photos are on Facebook.

We were also lucky enough to grab an impromptu interview with Chris Pearson of Thesis fame.

Chris wrote this hugely popular framework theme for WordPress which he is continuing to improve on.

Peter asked Chris to give us 3 good reasons why Realtors should chose Thesis for their WordPress real estate blogs and his answers make a whole bunch of sense to me!

BTW – we built this and lots of other sites using Thesis – it's stupendous!

Do you use Thesis for WordPress on your site?

If you do, please link us up to your blog site in the comments so we can take a look at your customization …

The Facebook Police shut off RE fan page

Peter Toner — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:02:43 +0000

Over the past 12 month Drew has made great friends with ..

… a nice guy in Florida named Jonathan Riviera who started up a fan page "The Official Real Estate Referral Group" – that page attracted over 47,000 fans – yes – forty seven thousand.

As of yesterday the the page is no more, Facebook took it down.

Why?

Facebook pulled the plug on Jonathans page because the National Association of Realtors took issue the the vanity URL that was created 2 years ago – Facebook.com/SocialRealtors.

If you know anyone in Facebook or have an inside track please share so we can get Jonathans page back!

Background:

The term Realtor is trademarked and rigorously protected by a whole department at NAR. The only way a NAR member you can use is is if it's in conjunction with your name.

This is where Jonathan got into trouble, NAR would have been quite happy for Jonathan to change the vanity URL but Facebook has always been clear about page names - and in this case with NAR complaining about trademark violations Facebook simply derailed the site.

Once you create a Facebook page name you cannot ever change it or transfer it.

Here is a screenshot of a Facebook help page that spells out their rules:

Please use the like button to pass this around to your friends:

Predictions and suggestions

Peter Toner — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:07:30 +0000

So from the three posts in the series, let's recap what we know:

Up to recently Google was considered unbeatable but was considered "evil" for making tons of money.

People are sharing links with friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites creating a very different kind of web.

With the "Like" button Facebook is basically getting it's users to submit content they like.

Google does not have a complete list of all your friends and their interests but Facebook does …

Facebook is making a real effort to attract businesses. With that strategy they could create a sturdy platform that is woven inextricably into the fabric of the web.

If the visitor clicks the like button and shares the page with their Facebook friends along with an appropriate comment all of their friends and some of their friends friends see it – many, many more than if they merely commented on the blog post itself.

Getting mentioned is the new link building.

Now and in the future it's all about building those connections between people and social media is built from the ground up to achieve that goal.

So one of your major strategies for the future will be to consider the many different ways people can connect with you, and make sure you enable those connections.

Out of the mouths of Facebook: "Marketers have always known that the best way to sell something is to get your friends to sell it," says Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer. "That is what people do all day on Facebook. We enable effective word-of-mouth advertising at scale for the first time."

Another important concept you should know:

People buying things are more inclined to trust their friends than strangers …

…. or ads presented next to search results.

Is Facebook or Google more trustworthy if you're thinking about buying the new Jewel CD? It's more likely to be Google, but soon you could be asking Facebook friends what to buy.

Our predictions for the near future:

No like button on your site – no indexing by Facebook! This could mean no search results either!

No social connections on Gmail or Google Profile = no social search results

If you are not involved in social media, dismiss it as a big time suck, or you are not making a serious effort to build your social capital, you stand the chance of being sidelined by Google, Facebook and others who will increasingly use what they know about a user to deliver highly targeted search results.

Please don't ever say we didn't warn you!

So pay attention, this isn't hard – here are our pointers for staying ahead of the game:

Create as much relevant content as you can
Maintain control over your content.
Build your own list on your WordPress Blog with RSS or opt in emails
Add the Facebook "like" button to your blog
Create and or enhance your Google profile