Real Estate Marketing U

Leverage Your Interactive Maps for Maximum Marketing Results!

I am a big proponent of leveraging everything you do for maximum marketing results. And by offering interactive maps on your Web site you are opening up many avenues for online marketing success.

For starters, you can use your interactive maps to get reciprocal links from other web sites and increase your link popularity with the search engines. Say you are featuring shopping centers, restaurants and fitness centers in a particular area, provide a link to their web site from your map and ask for a link back from their site. Remember - the more links you have the higher your search engine ranking.

Viral marketing is another great way to leverage your interactive map. All you have to do is provide a “Tell a friend about this map” button.

Use permission marketing to your advantage here as well by asking web site visitors if you can send them notifications of new features added, new listings, new resources, etc..

Some real estate companies are even using interactive maps as a source of revenue generation. This can be done several ways depending on the software you are using. For example, for each category of resources you have available on your map, schools, restaurants, shopping centers, etc, you can offer different types of listings at different fees – a free listing, a basic listing and a premium listing.

Let’s take shopping centers as an example. You can offer all the shopping centers in the area a free listing. This could include simply the name of the shopping center. The basic listing would have more enhanced features like a link to their Web site, their address and phone number, a picture and a list of stores in their complex and would have an associated cost. The premium listing could incorporate links to their specials and promotions page, a podcast, video or a virtual tour, and again have an associated fee that is higher than the basic listing.

Another way to use your interactive map as a source of revenue generation is to offer advertising on the results page. If your interactive map had golf courses listed in the legend, you could sell those golf courses advertising on the results page.

Interactive mapping is very important for the real estate industry and I expect over the next year a number of new players will be emerging on the market with added features, bells and whistles and there will be a few emerging leaders in the field.

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

Susan Sweeney is an E-Business expert, a best-selling author of 8 Internet Marketing books, including “101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site“ and a speaker who has delivered keynotes, workshops and bootcamps to audiences on 4 continents - have Susan come speak at your event! Call us toll free 1-888-274-0537 or send us an email: susan (at) susansweeney (dot) com.

Increase Your Mailing List And Your Reach With Cooperative Permission Marketing

Cooperative marketing is starting to take hold on the Internet. Cooperative marketing is where you would form an alliance with other sites that are trying to reach the same target market as you.

Once you have found the appropriate sites you would come up with a way to do some win-win marketing together. For example, if you have a monthly newsletter, you can allow subscribers to sign up to receive your alliance partners’ newsletters at the same time they sign up to receive yours. In return, your alliance partners do the same.

This same technique can be used for many other repeat-traffic generators like coupons, e-specials, e-zines, etc. Get innovative!

Some partners for your real estate professionals could be:

• Home-inspection companies
• Moving companies
• Mortgage companies
• Property appraisers
• Property insurance companies or brokers
• Storage companies
• Stagers
• Cleaning service companies
• Lawyers

By getting creative and engaging in a little cooperative marketing you will be able to grow your list and your reach exponentially.

Want more of Susan Sweeney? Attend her 2-Day Internet Marketing Bootcamp, coming November 6 & 7, 2008 in Nashville, TN at the Grand Opryland Resort. This Bootcamp is designed specifically for business professionals, to provide you with the necessary education and skills to maximize your business opportunities online - Register today!

Participate in Susan Sweeney’s 2-Day Internet Marketing Bootcamp and leave with the valuable knowledge and skills you can begin using immediately to increase your business. Check out the 2-Day Agenda: www.susansweeney.com/agenda.html. For more information and to Register online go to: http://www.suansweeney.com/bootcamp.html

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF 

Twitter - What Is It And Can It Boost My Real Estate Business?

There is quite a bit of talk on the Internet these days about this new social media service called Twitter. So what is it? Well, basically, it’s a way to keep up to date with what people in your social circle are doing. This is what Twitter has to say about itself:
              
                 (source)”Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate
                   and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers
                   to one simple question: What are you doing?”

Just like other social media services such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn , you have to sign up for an account. From there you can post your messages, or as the Twitter family like to call it, your “tweets”. You can choose to “follow” other people’s posts which mean you will receive their posts once they  update, or other people can choose to “follow” your posts. You can even choose to keep your posts private so that only your friends can read them; you can even turn post updates on for some people and off for others.

Twitter updates are small, the limit is 140 characters, but users can send updates via SMS, instant messaging, email and the web, or by any one of the multitude of Twitter applications that are now available.

All in all it’s a great way to keep in touch no matter where you are and the best part is… it’s free!

So, can Twitter help your business?

Well, only you can decide that for sure, but let’s take a second to recap: Twitter is a communication tool, it’s instant, it can be updated and read no matter where you are (as long as you have an Internet connection or a mobile phone) and it’s free.

Sounds like Twitter has the potential to be a pretty useful Internet marketing application.

Here are a few examples of how Twitter can be used in business:

1. Personal Branding. Build your personal brand and establish yourself as a social personality that is connected and approachable.

2. Get Feedback. Blast out a message asking for advice on how a Web site looks or send out your most burning questions and you’ll receive replies from other users.

3. Direct traffic. When you send out messages, include your Web site information. Twitter offers a great opportunity to exponentially increase your exposure with viral marketing.

4. Business Management. Use Twitter as your company’s intranet. Use it to connect employees to one another especially if they are working on a big project together. Be sure to set updates to private for security reasons.

5. Notify Your Customers. Use Twitter to notify customers when new listings are available.

6. Event Updates. Inform event participants of the latest event happenings and/or changes as they happen. Or use it to provide real-time commentary on events coverage.

7. Find Prospects. Twitter can be used as a means to find potential customers or clients online. Do a search for keywords related to your product on Tweetscan, Terraminds or Summize and then follow users. Tweet about topics parallel to your product and close prospects away from public channels by using direct messages or offline communications. Discretion and skill is needed in this area.

8. Set up Meetings. Organize last minute meetings with Twitter. You can do this on your way back from lunch, at the doctor’s office or after a client meeting.

9. Affiliate Management. Use Twitter to increase communication between you and your network of affiliates.

These are just a few examples of how Twitter can be used as a business application. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free. But only you can decide if it is right for your business.

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

Book Susan Sweeney, the e-expert, to speak at your upcoming convention or event. Get Susan to critique your web site or to provide distance or on-site consulting. Call today, toll free 888-274-0537, to set up a meeting with Susan to determine which is best for you and your business or send us an email at susan@susansweeney.com.

RSS Content For Your Real Estate Business

What you’re looking to do with an RSS feed is get information in front of your target market on a regular basis. There are all kinds of content that can be sent through RSS for your Real Estate business, for example:

• Real estate related coupons, deals, tips, foreclosures, home improvements or realtor educational feeds
• Real Estate Listings
• Real estate Articles
• Newsletters
• Real estate Blogs 
• News—company, industry, or general
• Audio content
• Audio interviews
• Video content
• Press releases
• Schedule feed for teams, corporate meetings, etc.
• Specific material for employees, association members, or customers
• Specific types of requested information or subscribed content

Now we are even seeing personalized or customized Real Estate feeds where a subscriber might indicate that he or she would like to receive commercial property listings for condos and apartments but not office buildings. There are all kinds of RSS feeds available online these days. We see real estate agents with feeds on their latest investment properties, feeds on how to invest in foreclosed houses, feeds on which renovations will help you sell your home at a higher price, they can even send the content to your mobile phone!

There is a lot more to RSS, check out my latest book 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site, it has a whole chapter related to RSS.

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

Not All E-zines are Created Equal

Once you have done the resaerch and found e-zines that reach your target market, you should consider a number of other factors before you make a final decision on placing your ad. Use the following list as a set of guidelines for your e-zine advertising plan:

• Check the ads displayed in the e-zine for repetition. If advertisers have not advertised more than once, then they probably did not see very positive results.
• Respond to some of the ads and ask the advertisers what their experiences were with advertising in that particular e-zine. Be sure to tell them who you are and why you are contacting them. If you are up front, they will probably be receptive to your inquiry.
• Talk to the e-zine publisher and ask questions (e.g., how many subscribers there are). Ask what other advertisers have had to say about their results. Find out what types of ads they accept and if there are any restrictions. Check to see if the publisher has a policy of never running competing ads. Maybe the e-zine has a set of advertising policies that you can receive via e?mail.
• Find out if the publisher provides tracking information and, if so, what specific reports you will have access to.
• Find out if your ad can have a hyperlink to your Web site. If the e-zine allows hyperlinks, make sure you link to an effective page—one that is a continuation of the advertisement or a page that provides details on what you are advertising.
• In some cases e-zines have an editorial calendar available to assist you with the timing of your ad. The editorial calendar will tell you what articles will be included in upcoming issues. If an upcoming issue will have an article relating to your types of real estate listings or services or your geographic location you could choose to advertise in that issue. You might contact the editor regarding a review of the services you offer or submit an article relevant to the issue topics.
• Make sure that the advertising rates are reasonable based on the number of subscribers, and ask yourself if you can afford it. Find out the “open” rate, or the rate charged for advertising once in the e-zine. Ask what the rate is for multiple placements. If you are not in a position to pay for the advertising now ask if there are other arrangements that could be made. For example, the publisher might accept a link on your Web site in exchange for the ad.
• Develop your ads with your target customer in mind. They should attract your best prospects. Wherever possible, you should link to your site or provide an e?mail link to the right individual within your real estate organization.
• Develop a mechanism to track advertising responses. You could use different e?mail accounts for different ads to determine which ads are bringing you the responses. You can also use different URLs to point viewers to different pages within your site. If you have a good traffic-analysis package, you can track the increase in visitors as a result of your ad.
• Make sure you are versed in the publication’s advertising deadlines and ad format preferences.

There is a great deal of opportunity out there for advertising in online publications. Don’t get left behind, check out my book 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site for more information!

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

Geo-Targeting - The Best Pay-to-Play Strategy for Real Estate Professionals?

When you place a PPC ad campaign online, your ads will show up whenever someone searches on your keyword phrase. This can be a little tricky for Real Estate professionals who’s keyword phrase is say, “waterfront cottage”. You only want your ad clicked on if someone is interested in the actual location of your listing. That is, if your waterfront cottage is in New Hampshire, you would only want people who are looking for a waterfront cottage in New Hampshire to click on your ad. This is where Geo-Targeting Adwords come into play.  

Implementing a PPC strategy with geo-targeting enables you to advertise to a mass audience, or to target Internet users in a specific geographic location. Both Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing PPC campaigns provides you with the opportunity to target customers not only on a state or provincial level, but also on a local level, by displaying advertisements only to potential customers conducting searches in your business’s local area or in the area of your listings.

With AdWords alone, you can choose to target over 250 different countries in up to 14 different languages. You can also choose to advertise within over 200 different regions throughout the United States. Geo-targeting provides you with an increased level of control over where your ads are displayed and how they figure into your advertising budget. By targeting only those locations where you wish your ads to appear, you can maximize your online advertising dollars whether you are working with a small or a large budget.

For more information on PPC campaigns pick up my new book, 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site, there is a whole chapter dedicated to it!

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

Setting up Your Podcast - It’s Easier Than You Think

Podcasts take planning and commitment but with the following tips, tools and techniques you will be able to establish a professional and informative podcast:

1. Decide on Content and Frequency

Decide weather you want to record audio reports that do not require constant updating or if you want to provide the latest information on your most current listings, mortgage rates or services.

2. Develop the Format

The most basic and most successful format for any podcast is to first have a great opener that grabs the readers’ attention. Then provide the content. Always make sure the content is informative, relative and useful to the listener. And last, but not least, the close. Always close with a reference to your Web site, contact information and of course a call to action.

3. Gather Your Podcasting Equipment
 
• A laptop or desktop computer with an Internet connection and a sound card.
• A microphone.
• Audio recording software. There are lots of downloadable, free and paid, audio software programs online. Be sure to pick one that will satisfy all of your needs as some of the cheaper recording software does not offer many editing options while the more expensive ones allow you to edit the audio, enhance the sound quality and even add music.
• An MP3 encoder which will convert your audio into an MP3 file. For example iTunes can convert audio content to an MP3 file, or there are a number of popular free encoders online.

4. Recording Your Podcast

Once you have your content prepared, you will plug your microphone into your computer, start your audio recording software, and record your podcast. Always record your podcast in a quiet location. Save your podcast as an MP3 file. When naming your file, consider including your important keyword phrase, where appropriate, for search engine optimization purposes.

5. Publishing Your Podcast

Once you have finished recording and editing your podcast you can upload (or FTP) the file to your Web site host and make it available online.

Interested in learning more about Podcasting? Check out my new book, 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the subject!

Written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

Viral Marketing With E-books

E-books are very big these days. If you have great content an e-book can do wonders to create great exposure for you, your real estate site, your listings and your services.

Ensure that, in your E-book, you have clear references to you and links to your Web site that provide a reason for people to click through. You might provide additional resources on your site or encourage people to visit your site for copies of other E-books you have developed. Then market, market, market that E-book.

Encourage other E-zine and newsletter providers to send a copy of your E-book to their subscribers. Promote it through your sig file, in newsgroups, and in publicly accessible mail lists.

Check out my Viral Marketing webinar on CD for more information.

- written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

What to Measure for Success

Often, when discussing Web analytics, you’ll hear about key performance indicators (KPIs), also known as key success factors. KPIs are measurable and they reflect the goals of a company.

When thinking in terms of Web analytics, your KPIs are those measurements that make a difference to your business in relation to the Internet. The first thing you must do is determine what key performance indicators are important to yuor business model. That is, what questions about yor Web site visitors do you want answers to?

Here are some of the more common measurements to evaluate:

• Click-through rate
• Unique visitors
• Time spent
• Click stream
• Single-page access
• Leads generated or desired actions taken
• Customer conversion ratio
• Net dollars per visitor
• cost per visitor
• Form abandonment
• Impact on offline sales
• Return on Investment (ROI)

Ultimately the most relevant key performance indicators for yuor business depends entirely on what you are trying to accomplish with your online marketing initiatives.

Want more? Check out 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Web Site.

-written by Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF

SMS (Short Messaging Service) - Because Clients and Potential Clients Are Always In-The-Go!

SMS (Short Messaging Service) is a service that allows text messages to be sent and received on your mobile phone. The message can also be sent to a mobile device from the Internet using an SMS gateway Web site. With SMS, if the phone is turned off or is out of range, the message is stored on the network and is delivered the next time you power on.

Club Texting’s Real Estate Text Messaging Software System (http://www.clubtexting.com) enables potential buyers to request and receive details on the property like price, number of bedrooms and number of bathrooms, immediately on their cell phone. The details and the response is customizable by the agent. Club Texting offers a two-way system so the potential buyer, after receiving the initial information, can also respond to the agent to request a viewing of  the property or a call back. How does this work? Potential customers text in to unique keywords that are on the listing agents for sale sign, flyer or any other promotional material. The system automatically provides the requested details and the opportunity for the potential buyer to start communication with the listing agent.

CellSigns.com (http://www.cellsigns.com) provides a service called The CellSigns Interactive Marketing System. This system enables prospective buyers to receive property information on demand via text messaging. A buyer sees a home they are interested in that has a property identification number and instructions on how to access additional information, they send the request via their cell phone, they receive information on the property and then have the option of scheduling a viewing, asking for a property brochure or a callback. The agent immediately receives details on the request.

There Are Many SMS Services Springing Up For The Real Estate Industry. Have a look around and pick the one that is the best for you, your real estate business and your clients.

Want more? 101 Ways to Promote Your Real Estate Business is now available online!

Written by: Susan Sweeney, CA, CSP, HoF