Read more about what YPN has planned for the 2008 REALTOR Conference & Expo in Orlando >

Posted on August 27 at 05:12 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Is Twitter an ingenious marketing and communications tool, or a mindless waste of time? That’s the question that tech columnist Mr. Internet (Michael Russer) poses in his September column at REALTOR® magazine online.

Take Our Twitter Poll >

From a purely social networking perspective, Twitter is easy, fast, and very convenient, Mr. Internet points out. It’s also very addictive and completely free, not counting text-messaging fees if you use Twitter to send or receive tweets on your mobile phone. You can use to keep your team updated on a pending transaction, or send short real estate news updates with links to your Web site.

But does it really hold promise as a business communication device? Mr. Internet is undecided, and wants to hear your thoughts. Have you used Twitter? Do you think it’s a useful

or annoying tool? What promise does it hold for the real estate profession? Post your comments to let us know what you think.

Posted on August 21 at 01:26 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (8)

You have seen the numbers, you have read the press — is there any way to make a living out there?

Of course there is! I was reviewing information on our market recently and found that we are selling the same amount of homes as we were 10 years ago. The only difference is 10 years ago there were just over 2,000 REALTORS® in our market whereas today there are 10,000 agents. That is 10,000 agents sharing 1,000 home sales a month in our area. The odds seem stacked against me.

Well I can continue to talk about it and be a worry wart or Debbie Downer (pardon the "Saturday Night Live" reference). "Sniff, Sniff." But that doesn't achieve a thing.

What happens when we are focused on getting? We start to fret about the market, we start to fret if we are going to be in business, and what happens when we fret? Here's what Websters.com says the definition of fret is: to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.

How can I receive anything good when I'm constantly being worn away? You can't! When you fret about things and your business, you end up wearing your business out! So what's the

solution? Look to give!

About 3 years ago I noticed a local company moved their offices upstairs from mine. I knew the owner had lived in Jamaica — where I had lived for 2 years — so we had something in common. The owner was a very successful business man who had merged his company with Jamba Juice and was expanding his new business Rumbi Island Grill.

I remember sitting in my desk nervous to go introduce myself. I felt a little intimidated. But then I realized that if either of us move offices I will have missed this opportunity if I don't speak up now. It made me think. I had ordered some Jamaican bottle drinks and thought to take him one. I took a drink upstairs and left it with a note. He came down to thank me and we began talking.

Within a year, I sold his home and helped him buy another one. He always calls me whenever he or someone he knows has a question or needs help. The coolest thing about it is that we are great friends. I can call him for anything when I need it and he can call me as well.

I didn't become friends or get a new client by using one of my postcards or door knocking. I gained a long term partnership by being thoughtful and giving. Look to give!

Dave Robison, known as “Utah Dave,” is a broker of Robison & Company Real Estate.

Posted on August 18 at 08:17 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

The title explains it all. I want to know! And I’m sure most of us want to know — what are YOUR current business tools or marketing ideas that gets the biggest bang for your business bucks!?

My personal recommendations:

• BNI.com - Referral Network Group $330-$430/yr. Membership

A non-compete business referral network group that physically meets at a location every week. The sole purpose of the meeting is to pass referrals to each other. You build a network of trusted professionals you can count on and also refers to your clients; and you get referrals in return. It’s a win-win.

• Digital Post-it Notes for my desktop computer - $19.99

Personally (being an organizational freak) I absolutely love Digital Post-It Notes! Especially the visual aspect of the program. I’m able to manage more details; it’s a great way to manage a lot

of small to-do’s for both business and personal items. They are currently offering a free 30-day trial.

• Starbucks Wifi - Free up to 2 hours

Still paying for their Wifi service? Or are you avoiding a meeting at Starbucks because the Wifi isn’t free? It’s now free (for up to 2 hours) if you have a Starbucks card — membership is free. Most store locations are convenient.

• Social Networking Sites (SNS) – Free, but you have to invest your time

It’s just another way to stay connected with your people. It works if you participate and keep yourself updated and "alive" online.

Dina Takai, GRI, ABR®, SRES, CIPS, TRC, is a broker associate with Park Bench Realty in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Posted on August 11 at 09:35 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (8)

A group of REALTORS at @properties in Chicago bravely stepped out of their comfort zones to take an improv class especially designed for real estate professionals. Watch some of the techniques they learned and share your thoughts: Do you think improv classees could be beneficial in real estate?

For more on improv in real estate, check out this article from REALTOR magazine, Take the Stage.

Posted on August 8 at 12:00 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Expanding your current search engine marketing strategy to include local search optimization can offer a great return on investment — especially for those in the real estate industry. The bulk of search engine queries are local in scope to include the name of the neighborhood, ZIP code, city, county, and, in some cases just a state, i.e. "wedding photographer miami" or "hagerstown REALTOR®".

The competition is fierce for most large cities and metropolitan areas — particularly in the real estate industry — but targeting a specific subdivision or ZIP code may still yield the results you want with little investment on your part. However, a harder road does not mean you shouldn't give the larger areas a try ;)

Some search engines are able to identify a site's host location on their own (which may or may not be a good thing for the local business Web site) and other engines require location information from the site. The key is to help the search engine's find you and relate your Web site and services to a desired market and geographic location.

As many of you know, this is a crucial marketing task for real estate agents who wish to bolster their Internet lead generation.

Anyone can go to the bookstore and purchase one of the many books about search engine optimization (SEO), but the topic of localization and geo-targeting is not approached by most.

So, to pay homage to "local search", I have provided 15 tips to consider when "geo-targeting"

your search engine optimization campaign:

1. Spend some time developing a list of the KEY communities, demographic and markets for which you would like to optimize your search activities. This list will come in handy when you are searching for image content, developing meta tags, and writing Web copy.

2. Include your full address on each page of your Web site using the < ADDRESS > HTML tag. It is important that this information is positioned close to the top of the page on the index or home page of your site; it can be placed in the footer on other pages.

3. Include a list of communities served with links to dedicated pages for each. (See next tip for more information.) The list can be its own Web page or be included in the home page content. Be sure to include subdivision and neighborhood names, if they are regularly-used in the community.

4. Structure your URLs and Web site directory to be search engine-friendly. This is CRUCIAL! Search engines take into consideration the keywords and phrases embedded in your URLs and use these to influence your rankings. An example of a well-structured URL for a landmark photo for a community would be (this URL reflects an image of the C&O Canal in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.): http://www.bobjonesrealtor.com/dc/georgetown/images/c&o_canal.jpg Keep in mind that hyphens and underscores are viewed as spaces by search engine algorithms.

5. Add pictures of local hot spots and landmarks within the communities that you serve. Be sure that these images include a descriptive "alt" tag and filename. Another great touch is to make the image link (in a new browser window) to a Google map of the landmark location — this also adds some additional interactivity to your site.

6. Include location identifiers in the title, description, and keywords section of your meta tags. Search for and use a free meta tag generator online, which will provide you with a complete set of meta tags to be pasted into the code of each of your Web pages.

7. Include city, state and/or neighborhood names in link text when linking to other sites in the area on your Web site.

8. Use geo-targeting in your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. (I could write a book on this strategy alone!).

9. Register for local search and listings with the major search engines and online yellow pages.

10. Include a Google map of your office location on your contact page and of communities on their dedicated pages.

11. Add a link to your Web site on all classified property listings. For example, add your link to such popular sites as craigslist, kijiji, etc.

12. Comment on well-ranked local blogs — even on your competitor's blog, if it has good search engine placement. Be sure to include a short location-rich tagline after your name — i.e. Julia Trulia, South Newport REALTOR® — in your comment.

13. If you target a certain market demographic, such as golfers, seniors, or boaters, swap links with well-ranked sites and directories that also target that group.

14. Make your page titles specific. Include your name, cities, and states served (or an individual community if you have a smaller niche), and "real estate agent" or "REALTOR®."

15. For the ambitious SEO enthusiast, purchase multiple geo-targeted domains that redirect to specific "landing pages" or community pages within your site.

This list is meant to offer suggestions, rather than be a comprehensive guide to local search optimization. Most real estate agents will require the use of a professional to implement many of these local SEO tactics — especially those that require the implementation and modification of HTML tags.

Geo-targeting can be a daunting task, but the investment of time and money is well worth it. Does your search engine strategy include geo-targeting?

Mia Orantes is a licensed residential salesperson and principal of Real Estate Geeks, a consulting firm offering Real Estate 2.0 marketing and virtual assistance to agents and brokers.

Posted on August 5 at 03:24 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (1)