Real Estate Marketing Drips

Week of 01/10/10- 01/18/10 Real Skillz Freebie Picks- Free Online Reads and Real Estate Marketing Resources for Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Companies

Week of 01/10/10- 01/18/10 Real Skillz Freebie Picks- Free Online Reads and Real Estate Marketing Resources for Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Companies
 
 
  • What's Motivating the Social Relationship Between Consumers and Companies?
A new chart from Marketing Sherpa exploring how consumers interact with companies who use social media.  The report follows Max Connectors (people with more than 500 social connections), Daily Users and All Respondents.  The reason most consumers friend/follow companies is because they want to learn about special sales followed closely by wanting to learn about new products/features/services.
 
Keep this in mind when marketing reduced listings, posting new inventory, and discussing new housing bills.
 
 
  • SEO CHALLENGES FOR 2010 WITH AMANDA WATTLINGTON
 

An insightful interview with Amanda Wattlington, SEO expert, on three SEO challenges for 2010 which include Google page loading speed, localization, and personalization.
 
 


What Wattlington has to say about localization and personalization is especially important.  Remember that your offering should be as full as possible on your social media profiles because not all visitors will go to your website.  Make sure to claim your business in online local directories.
 
 
  • Which Is Worse for Your Brain:  Texting or Pot?(Hint:  Pass the Pipe)

An article from Richard Young of BNet that cuts into the stress of the real time web and gives some no nonsense advise on how to deal with it. 

A few stellar tips include,

Set a time to check for messages in the afternoon and use your brain for more important tasks; Turn off any alarms that notify you of email as it comes into your inbox.

Organize your thinking visually.

Break down complex information into sub-groups

Delegate more often.   

 
       Working online makes it difficult not to fall into the trap of 24/7 availablity.  This article helps provide tips  
       on being less robotic and more human. Just as important it emphasizes that your effectiveness increases
       when you are less tapped into a wired environment.          
 
  • Ten Musts for Marketing to Women on Facebook
This article from Brette Burrow on Mashable discusses how to market to women online.  Women account for over 56 million Facebook users and are the purchasing decision makers in most households.
 
Here is a Summary of the Top 10 Tips:
 
  1. Create an emotional connection with your fans.
  2. Design a post series that readers can rely on and is useful to them.
  3. Share new products/services with your fans and help them take advantage of new offers online.
  4. Quit being redundant.  If you repost news to your Fan Page offer additional value.
  5. Consider widgets that allow a transaction to occur right from your fan page (For real estate this could be a free home evaluation or access to listings; For mortgage professionals this could be rate quotes or daily rate summaries).
  6. Respond to feedback and criticism.
  7. Share the positive and address the negative.
  8. Let your customers know about supply shortages or website problems.
  9. Provide quality information in your Facebook posts and on your Facebook Fan Page.  Stay away from spammy advertising. 
  10. Answer questions on your Facebook Fan Page.
 
Women are in the majority when it comes to making financial purchases and decisions.  This is a helpful list to keep in mind as you are creating a
Facebook Fan Page Strategy.  Also check out this summary notes report- "Marketing to Women".
  • The Mad Scientist of Cold Calling
 
An excerpt from an interview with Geoffrey James of BNet and Dr. James Oldroyd on the science of cold calling. There are some really fantastic metrics in this post which include,
 
       The best times and day to qualify leads are between 8a.m.-9 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. on Thursdays.
       Sales leads in the financial industries remain live or 24 hours.
       Your focus shoud be on the newest leads first.
 
The full Lead Response Management study by Kellogg can be downloaded here and includes information on getting people to your website, creating effective lead capture website forms, contacting web leads and great stats and tactics on lead generation.      
 
        The report is worth the read and the timing strategy tip are excellent. 
 
Use it in conjunction with these five tips on choosing the right day to market your real estate services online to create an effective prospecting schedule for your real estate business.


Real Skillz is grateful to have such loyal subscribers, readers, friends, followers and fans.  For more practical tips and how subscribe to the Real to's Skillz Real Estate Marketing Newsletter.


Get to know me on Facebook as a friend and if you like what you're reading then please do me the honor of becoming a fan.  
 
4 comments • Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant • January 20 2010 11:22AM

01/01/10-01/09/10- Real Skillz Freebie Picks- Free Online Reads and Real Estate Marketing Resources for Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Companies

01/01/10-01/09/10- Real Skillz Freebie Picks- Free Online Reads and Real Estate Marketing Resources for Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Companies
 
 
  • Clear Hyperlinks Increase Conversions
A blog post from Todd Follansbee on how not to confuse your visitors with hyperlinks and how to make sure sure your hyperlinks are getting the most mileage.  Take his hyperlink text quiz and make sure to check out the tips under "Make Text Hyperlinks Do More". The first one is discusses "Call to Action". 

"Call to Action" are my three favorite words in marketing. Good marketing does nothing for sales without a clear call to action.
 
  • Tweetpsych
 
Tweetpsych is a Twitter application created by Dan Zarella.  Tweet Psych provides Twitter psychological profiling for both users and lists.  Each factor is represented in a bar graph as a percentage over/under the median of Twitter users with a description listed in the results section under the bar graph. 

I learned that most of my tweeting is about work and I tweet the least about media. 

Tweet Psych used in tandem with Twittergrader's tweet cloud really lends a clear perspective to your tweeting efforts and could keep you in check and on track.



  •   The 2010 Social Media Marketing Ecosystem

         

 A blog post from Dave Fleet on Social Media Today of the vast ecosystem of social media marketing and what to look ahead to in 2010.

 As you start to read it you may want to shy away because of the intricacies in detail (even in the diagrams) and the layers of marketing butplug through.  What I would like you to take note of is the first chart which lists the type of media and then the elements mentioned under the "ideal corporate social media system".

Note that the diagram has a corporate website and social media hub as the center of all other Internet marketing activities:  Facebook,Twitter, YouTube.

I recommend that you map out your own current social media initiatives and see if they put your corporate website and social media hub at the center.  You can use a simple pen and paper or a mind mapping software to help in this task.

Are all of your activities on social media marketing venues directed toward your corporate website and social media hub or do they not have a clear path home and a call to action?

If there's no clear direction home, time to get to work and work on creating an effective social media marketing strategy.

 

  • High Performance Analytics
       
A Feature article from the February 2010 edition of Website Magazine.  This article is well worth the read as it emphasizes the importance of analytics in your online marketing activities.  The author discusses KPI (Key Performance Indicators) that include Visitors per Conversion, Lead or Order, Cost per Lead, and Stickiness.  It also gives four key tools for measuring website speed and load times.

The website also discusses Video Analytics, social analytics, and CRM analytics.  I would bookmark, print, highlight and use this post when planning your analytics and looking at factors that you should be measuring and the tools that can help you with those measurements.

It will be very clear after reading this article that measurement should be part and parcel of all of your marketing endeavors.

Real Skillz is grateful to have such loyal subscribers, readers, friends, followers and fans.  For more practical tips and how subscribe to the Real to'sSkillz Real Estate Marketing Newsletter.

Get to know me on Facebook as a friend and if you like what you're reading then please do me the honor of becoming a fan.


*********************************************************************************

 

Rebecca D. Levinson is a real estate marketing consultant with 17 years of experience serving real estate professionals.  Real estate marketing services include:

 

  • Blogging- See my Blogging Tune-Up Website for Details
  • Social Networking
  • Niche Marketing
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Branding- See my Branding Sanity Website for Details
  • Offline Marketing
  • Online Marketing
  • Special Events Promotion and Marketing
  • Holiday Marketing
  • Marketing Campaigns
  • Email Marketing (Content and Design)
  • Reputation Management

 

If you treat real estate as a business then Real Skillz is a desirable real estate marketing solution. Call #262-203-5231 or email rebecca@realestateskillz.com.

 

 

 

10 comments • Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant • January 12 2010 08:27PM

A Simple Twitter Cheat Sheet for Real Estate Professionals to Generate Leads, Brand Your Business, Create Referral Partners, and Manage Your Reputation

A Simple Twitter Cheat Sheet for Real Estate Professionals to Generate Leads, Brand Your Business, Create Referral Partners, and Manage Your Reputation



 

Why Twitter? The news is in....Twitter users will now have an added advantage of their conversations appearing on the search engine results pages of Google and Bing.  I have seen the indexing of tweets on Google as well as on Bing firsthand.  Twitter can be used to brand your business, lead generation, to create referral partners, and even retain business through responsive reputation management. If you haven't started adding Twitter into your online marketing, it's time to engage. 


When to Tweet


 

You can tweet everyday of the week.  Make sure to to tweet on Wednesdays and Thursdays for maximum effect as they are the most active days of tweets and retweets as found by HubSpot's State of the Twittersphere June 2009.




Where to Find Local Peeps on Twitter

There are many directories and Apps for Twitter to help you find locals.  Submit your twitter handle(s) and follow locals.  Become engaged in local conversations on Twitter.
 
1.  Twellow- Twitter Yellow Pages.
2.  GeoFollow- Location based Twitter Directory.
3.  Local Tweeps- Zipcode level Twitter directory.
4.  twvite- Find and attend a local tweetup(locals who twitter meeting together offline.
5.  Twitter Local- Gives you a feed of tweets based on location.
6.  Nearby Tweets- Find twitter users in locations near to where you live.
7.  Happn.in- Tracks local twitter users near to where you live.



How to Customize Your Background On Twitter


First impressions are important for branding and your background page on Twitter is no exception. Your Twitter background is a great opportunity to brand your business.
Your Twitter followers will look sometimes before they leap. First impressions are important.

Here are 7 free applications you can use to customize your background:
 

1. Twitter Patterns- Abstract twitter patters you can use for free for your Twitter background.
2. Twitbacks- Free customized twitter background with full about section.
3. Twitpaper- Free Twitter themes.
4. Prettytweet- Customize your twitter background.  You can add images, change color and change text.
5. TwitterImage- Free backgrounds grouped in various categories.
6. Freetwitterdesigner-Create custom twitter backgrounds.
7.  Twitrounds- Free Twitter backgrounds.




What to Tweet


Twitter is a great way to prospect for business and engage in conversations. 
 
Here are a few ways to find some useful things to tweet about and get people's interest.
 
You can join Twitter here.
 
1.  Twitter Lights-Application that lets you highlight information you find interesting and send as a Tiny URL to Twitter.
2.  WhatTheHashTag- Tracks trending hashtags and other hashtags on Twitter.
3. Tweetag-Search for topics on Twitter and setup alerts to get notified when your keywords are being talked about on Twitter.
4. Twitlink-What links are being shared and what is being tweeted on Twitter.
5. StufftoTweet- Popular topics on the worldwide web.
6.PlusPlusBot- Karma on Twitter.

7. Twitter Answers- Ask questions and get answers on Twitter.


Use the powerful tools of Twitter to enhance your online marketing strategy



How to Monitor Tweets to Generate Leads and Retain Business

Monitor Keywords Topics, and Links on Twitter...Then Engage.  These 6 applications will help you track keywords and topics on Twitter allowing you to monitor your brand and generate leads.
 

1. Tweetbeep- Set up alerts that will be sent to your email when your topics/keywords are tweeted.
2. Tweetscan-Do a search for keywords and get results sorted by most recent tweets.
3.  Samepoint- Tracks conversations across the web based on your keywords.  A must use tool for prospecting and marketing.
4. Tweetmeme- Tracks the most popular links on Twitter.
nces.
5.  Monitter- Allows you to monitor multiple keywords in a grid in real time on Twitter.
6.Twitscoop- Robust application for tracking keywords, topics, and conferences.

Best CRM for Twitter-Hootsuite- Manage your contacts by grouping, manage multiple twitter handles (user accounts), keep searches running, synch up with your Wordpress blog, analyze your twitter traffic and so much more. 


These tools are recommended twitter tools to create an effective strategy for lead generation, reputation management and branding for real estate professionals.  Do not use all the tools.  Choose one or two from each list that will get the job done for you.  I have whittled down the Twitter applications from the worldwide web and there are probably a half dozen new Twitter applications born for every one that already exists every week.  Don't concentrate on that.

Concentrate on the tools that will make your Twittering effective and then just do it.  Stop by and make sure to say hi to me while you tweet.


If you enjoyed these tips then sign-up for the weekly Real Skillz Real Estate Marketing Newsletter which has a static Twitter column with Tips to make your twittering efforts effective.  It's delivered to your Inbox every Tuesday.

For All Real Estate Professionals

For Email Marketing you can trust




For Real Estate Professionals Who Are RealSkillz Clients

If you're a current RealSkillz client look in your inbox for the debut of the RealSkillz Real Estate Marketing newsletter for clients with tips on how to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and new how to's.  This newsletter is only for clients and will debut on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.

**************************************************************************


Rebecca D. Levinson is a real estate marketing consultant with 17 years of experience serving real estate professionals.  Real estate marketing services include

 

  • Blogging- See my Blogging Tune-Up Website for Details
  • Social Networking
  • Niche Marketing
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Branding- See my Branding Sanity Website for Details
  • Offline Marketing
  • Online Marketing
  • Special Events Promotion and Marketing
  • Holiday Marketing
  • Marketing Campaigns
  • Email Marketing (Content and Design)
  • Reputation Management

 

If you treat real estate as a business then Real Skillz is a desirable real estate marketing solution. Call #262-203-5231 or email rebecca@realestateskillz.com.

 

 

26 comments • Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant • January 08 2010 01:10PM

Planning for an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy IS the Shift in 2010. How Does Your Real Estate business stack Up?

Planning for An Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy IS the shift in 2010.  How does your real estate business stack up?

Marketing Sherpa has just released the 2010 Social Media Marketing Benchmark Report.  You can download Marketing Sherpa's Executive Summary on Social Media Marketing for free without filling out a form on their website.

The summary is worth the read and provides valuable insights to help you plan your social media marketing strategy. 


Some significant observations noted in the report include:

  • Lack of an effective social media marketing strategy is one of the most significant challenges facing marketers
  • The human factor will account for nearly 60% of social media marketing expenditures next year including staff salaries for blogging, content development, social monitoring, etc.
  • All Business Sectors will be increasing their budgets significantly for social marketing in 2010.  The average hovering around 50% while some sectors will be increasing their budgets for social media marketing by nearly 80%.
  • Lack of an effective social media marketing strategy is one of the most significant challenges facing marketers.

The executive report discuss social media maturation by organizations and the levels of maturation.  It cites that Forty percent of companies are moving toward the transition phase where the emphasis is on planning a social media strategy.

Don't skip past the chart on Aligning Social Marketing Objectives with Corresponding Metrics.  This chart is useful to help you determine the metrics you want to achieve in your social media marketing efforts.

So how can you achieve this experience?  Start by not throwing spaghetti up against the wall and seeing if it sticks.  You need to look at your business goals and your current marketing strategy and see where you can add social media marketing methods to achieve an optimized, competitive, leadership strategy in your marketplace.  You need to become consumer friendly 'cause the consumers are already out and they are talking, with or without your presence or your voice.

Make a decision to commit to consumers and the consumer experience.  Take a look inside your organization....is there someone who can help your company or solo business take these steps, now?  Develop a plan, now?  Transplanting current employees or contractors from one position to another unsuited one to forage into social media marketing might allow you a lucky strike or it could be the pitch that strikes you out.

Just remember, for every 30-60-90-120 days it takes to get it done, your customers are 30-60-90-120 days ahead of you. 

Some will just be gone.


If you enjoyed this post learn more about creating an efficient social media marketing strategy by reading,


*******************************************************************

Rebecca D. Levinson is a real estate marketing consultant with 17 years of experience serving real estate professionals.  Real estate marketing services include,

 

  • Blogging- See my Blogging Tune-Up Website for Details
  • Social Networking
  • Niche Marketing
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Branding- See my Branding Sanity Website for Details
  • Offline Marketing
  • Online Marketing
  • Special Events Promotion and Marketing
  • Holiday Marketing
  • Marketing Campaigns
  • Email Marketing (Content and Design)
  • Reputation Management

 

If you treat real estate as a business then Real Skillz is a desirable real estate marketing solution. Call #262-203-5231 or email rebecca@realestateskillz.com.

14 comments • Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant • January 07 2010 11:38AM