Simple and Effective Marketing Tips for REALTORS®

Even with the popularity of Social Media as a way to get noticed by home-buyers and sellers, many real estate agents still overlook some simple, yet effective ways to drive traffic to their Web site and Social Media Sites.

• Your Voice Mail  – I call many agents only to get a voice mail message with no mention of visiting their Web site for additional information. By announcing your Web address, it encourages potential clients to visit your site for up-to-date listings information as well as other valuable resources.
• Sign Riders  - Be sure to include your Web address on all sign riders. Quite often potential buyers will take a weekend drive to see what is available. Placing your Web address on the sign is an easy way to for the potential buyer to visit your site for more information.
• Marketing Materials  – Your Web Address must be placed on all property brochures.
• Email Signatures – This is my favorite. Be sure to include your social media icons and Web address in your email signature. I have found that adding LinkedIn to your signature is a plus as it shows your experience and also any testimonials you have received. By placing these icons to your signature it also invites potential clients, past clients, friends and colleagues to connect with you.

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HouseLogic: Add Content To Your Site

HouseLogic, NAR’s new consumer based site, gives consumers a wealth a valuable information for home owners to increase or maintain the value of their home. Consumers get can gain insight on many home improvement ideas as well as financial information such as taxes and insurance information.

The National Association of  REALTORS® created HouseLogic to help Real Estate consumers be more informed as it will help to stabilize and possibly increase the value of the housing market.

How can HouseLogic help an agent or broker?  HouseLogic allows REALTORS®  to use its content on your site. This will add more value to your site as you are able to keep in contact with your clients and customers. To use the content simply go to  REALTOR® Content Resource. You can easily integrate this content to your agent or broker Web site as well as your blog site or even your newsletters. Using the content also has another benefit as it will show your clients you are a housing expert.

Every REALTOR’S® Web Site should not only provide consumers the ability to search listings, it should also provide  rich content to educate potential home buyers and home sellers and attract new potential clients.  Remember, your Web site is a tool for consumers. Adding HouseLogic content to your Web site  is another great way to assist you in your branding efforts.

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Keyword Strategy

Keywords are the fundamental backbone of your SEO strategy.  Choosing the correct keywords become vital to your overall SEO success. Long tail keywords driving hyper-local content are the REALTORS best friend.  Leveraging this can be a key to your successful SEO campaign.  Knowing your market is also important to your success.  Perhaps the most overlooked and underused concept is keyword research.  Keyword research is vital to your success but I see very few of my Real Estate clients using it.  When you research keywords you are also breaking down your market segment.  By understanding your market you can then begin to know which keywords to choose.

Using a ‘keyword analyzer’ for this task is critical.  A keyword analyzer is just as the name applies.  It is a tool that assists you in finding the right keywords to build your SEO around.  Google offers a few free ones that you can use to research which phrases are popular as well as diving into which long tail phrases might be good to use. The first keyword analyzer analyzes phrases and search volume.  The second one analyzes phrases based on specific websites.   Keyword analyzers also offer feedback into search volume, page counts, and competition among other things.

Another research technique is to see who is ranking on the keywords you would like to use.  So run some searches to see who is in the top 5 spots.

Your best course of action is to choose keywords that will generate a reasonable amount of traffic but do not have a lot of competition.  That is why long tail keywords are a popular choice as they offer both of these attributes.

Once you have some keyword phrases assembled you now want to begin to build pages around these.  Another idea is to blog about them.

A quick note about Title Tags.  Putting your keyword phrase in the Title Tag is another good idea and should always be used.

If you are an Agent a good title tag might be;

Anamda Reens – Nevada Real Estate

of if you want to be more specific

Anamda Reens – Las Vegas Nevada Real Estate

or get hyper local

John Townsen – Whispering Hills – Deer Park Maryland Homes

Some people argue on where to place the keyword text.  Some say in the beginning, i.e.

Nevada Real Estate – Anamda Reens

I am not convinced either is better and sometimes it comes down to how it looks to the reader as well.

Whatever you choose to do, a bit of preparation is always a good idea.  If you do not have the time, hire a professional to do the work.   But either way preparing is the keyword here.

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Educating Real Estate Agents and Brokers

NJ Access, also known nationally as RE/Advantage has been conducting educational seminars to Real Estate Boards and Associations for years.

Our educational seminars will sharpen the minds of your members and offer insightful information on today’s cutting-edge technology trends. We offer many different popular classes, such as:

Web Marketing 101

Geared towards beginners, this seminar is typically 2 -3 hours in duration and covers the following topics:

• Why do you need a web presence?
• Registering a domain name(s)
• Avoid the pitfalls of the “build it and they shall come” approach
• The do’s and dont’s when building your Web presence
• What is IDX and why you should add it to your Web site?
• Do you have a marketing plan in place?
• Targeting your audience
• Explanation of search engines and directories
• Basic search engine optimization tips
• Introduction to social networking

Taking Your Online Marketing to the Next Level

For the intermediate user this class is generally 2-3 hours in length and will focus on:

• Measuring the success of your current site
• Adding IDX to brand your Web Site
• Search Engine Optimization techniques through good content creation
• How to get started with blogging
• The benefits adding various social networking applications as a way of expanding your marketing efforts

Social Networking and Web 2.0 Applications

For our more advanced attendees, we offer a class geared to social networking and Web 2.0 applications. This class is generally 2-3 hours in duration. This class will focus on:

• Facebook action plan questions and answers
• Social Media mistakes to avoid
• What content do I add for my blog?
• Are you using Twitter to the fullest extent?
• Integrating video to your Web site using YouTube

Our seminars can be conducted locally at your office or even online. RE/Advantage can help your membership by providing them with knowledge to help them become successful with their Internet marketing.  To learn more about our solutions and any applicable costs to any particular seminar, please contact us at (877) 791-4825 ext. 231 or seminar@readvantage.com

RE/Advantage builds and maintains Internet solutions for the Real Estate Industry.  Our flagship products; Agent Central Max, Board Central, and IDX 3.0 all deliver powerful tools to the Real Estate Professional.

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Facebook Versus Google

vs.

I recently read an interesting article by Alex Salkever and Sean Parker. I have added my commentary below their article.

When I read his article he discussed how Facebook could actually hurt Google. He and a tech entrepreneur by the name of Sean Parker believe, in short that businesses that connect people are worth more than businesses that collect data.  Facebook will effectively connect people whereas Google will not.

One of his supporting reasons about Facebook is that a search is increasingly a social act. When he and his wife and were searching for a new pediatrician, they did a Google search and a Facebook inquiry. Google brought up a bunch of links on sites of varying quality that purported to rank physicians. His Facebook query got him some excellent recommendations from people he knew. He was more comfortable with Facebook’s suggestions, because they came from people he knew. A Google search gave no guarantee of whether the information is current, nor of the motivations behind the strangers who provide it.

He believe for the first time, social media has made it convenient to tap the collective wisdom of your crowd, and people who know your crowd, to get recommendations for just about anything. Sure, you could blast friends with an email for advice in the past, but no one would dream of constantly bombarding lesser-known acquaintances for such information. By tapping into this new and powerful form of search, Facebook can also tear off a significant chunk of the value of the act of searching. Past wisdom was that people on Facebook weren’t receptive to ads. When he was looking for a pediatrician, he might’ve bitten on an ad for local practitioners. In searching both Google and Facebook, the latter became more relevant, so he spent less time conducting research on Google. He felt more comfortable that my own network would help me find the right information.

None of this means Google will completely suffer as Alex says.  He often disagrees with the answers he gets back from my social search. And the act of indexing the Internet is hugely valuable for providing a baseline of information. Google beats Facebook in many respects: Google (and other search engines) are insanely valuable for mapping and plotting directions among almost any locations.

And Google clearly gets the social web; Google Wave puts the company squarely into a form of social networking and, by extension, social search. Google is also quietly building up social tools to overlay on top of its search engine. Google has access to millions of desktops using its software toolbar: a potential Trojan horse for a broader social network play. So don’t write Google off.

Nevertheless, Parker’s presentation is compelling and seems to mirror key changes in how people are using and perceiving the Internet. If I go a day without using Google, it doesn’t bother me much. But I can’t go a day without Facebook: the social connections keep me tuned in.

With my eyeballs and my attention come opportunities to make money. Connection, not collection, is the value generator. I will keep using Google a lot to search for information — it’s a powerful and useful tool — but increasingly, it takes a backseat to social media and the wisdom of crowds.

I agree with the value of Social Networking applications such as Facebook as does the authors from the column above and it the importance to marketing. If I am looking for a real estate professional I have always been inclined to get the recommendations from friends versus a list on Google.

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7 Days to Better Your SEO | Day 4: Good Content

7 Days to Better Your SEO
(Search Engine Optimization)

Day 4: Good Content

I apologize for not getting this post out on Monday but I re-wrote it several times. 

When a REALTOR needs to write content two important factors should immediately come to mind.  Community and real estate advise.  The former will build good local content and the latter will reinforce your role as a professional.

You might have heard the phrase “Content King” when talking about writing good content.  If your site is the most authoritative site for its subject matter, you will not only draw interested buyers but in all likelihood rank well in the search engines.   I wrote a similar post a few months back “Writing Good Content” where I focused on structure.  Today I am going to take that a bit further and talk about conceptual ideas when thinking about writing your content.

Keywords

One concept I spoke of was the importance of “Keywords”.  This is the first commandment of good SEO content.  When you consider which keyword phrases you are going to use, consider what your expertise is and what is the target market you are trying to attract.  If you specialize in Condo Buyers in Miami, FL, then you need to maintain this idea throughout your website.  Too many people try to be master of all and wind up in the search engines eyes, the master of none.  So when considering keywords think like a buyer orseller would.

Keyword Considerations

Let’s use the example of “Condo’s in Miami, FL” as our basic concept for our website.  Now in thinking of what to write we know that our main keyword phrase needs to appear in the web page.  If it is not there the search engines will never know it is important to you.  Your goal is to convince Google, for example, that you are the most authoritative site for Condo’s in Miami, FL.

Another consideration is making your keywords as specific as possible. Going after highly targeted keywords not only will bring you more qualified prospects but will also be easier to achieve favorable results with.  The big franchises invest a substantial amount of money on keyword phrases like Floria Real Estate, so competing with them is futile.  The more precise phrases like Shadow Cove Condo’s Miami FL is a very specific phrase and also contains your main keyword phrase of Condo’s in Miami, FL.

Keyword Frequency

Keyword Frequency refers to how many times your keyword appears on a page.  You can ask 10 different SEO experts on the optimal amount and you will get 10 different answers.    Some even believe that this is not even important anymore but I think for the average non SEO professional writing content it is a good rule of thumb to use this as a guideline to ensure you are focusing on your keywords.  The other issue us that Google prefers one amount while Yahoo another.  So in my opinion to offer the best chance of success without creating multiple pages for each search engine I would like to see your keyword and keyword variations repeated on your page 10-13 times.  That is also based on a 700 or so word page.

Keyword Prominence

Keyword Prominence is how early or high up on a page your keywords are found.  I absolutely like to have my keywords in my first H1 tag on my page and also have it again as far forward in my first sentence.

Word Stemming

Word stemming is a term that refers to the ability to use all variations – singular, plural, verb form as well as similar words to be returned for a given search query.  So for you the above example the word “condo” when searched by Google would also return some of these stems; condos, condominum, condominums, etc.  So by using the logic of the stems you can further enhance your own keywords.

Keyword Placement

So where do you want to place keywords?  Here is a list of places where your keyword should be going.

• Certainly use them in your Meta <title> tag(s).
• Use your Keywords in the Meta <description>.
• Use them in your Meta <keyword>.  The jury is out on if this is really very important anymore but since it is a supported HTML Meta element, can’t hurt.
• Keywords are important in your header tags; <h1> or other headline tags.
• Use Keywords when possible in your links <a href=”http://yourrealestateoffice.com”>keywords</a&gt;.
• Use them in the body copy for sure.
• When possible use Keywords in alt tags.
• Using your keywords in a URL or site address is also a good idea, e.g., http://www.keyword.com or

  http://www.wesitename.com/keyword.htm.

What Keywords do I use?

Here are some suggestions;

• Think about your service area from a community perspective.  If you specialize in the Pascack Valley, NJ area, include pages on the town communities, lifestlye, market reports, local business, etc.
• Keyword on competitors websites.
• Visible page copy on competitors websites.
• Try searching Google and see what the results return.
• Use an online tools like: Google Keyword Tool
• Pay attention to stemming for your keywords – Particularly to what the root word is and what Google considers to be a match for that word when optimizing pages over time.
• You can do brainstorming to identify correct keywords for your site.

Writing the perfect content is not easy but once you understand the placement and usage of keywords and phrases you can then write solid, readable and friendly content for your readers.  Remember Content is King and if you write good quality and ORIGINAL content you surely will have some degree of success if not for a outstanding website.

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