Real Estate Web Design and Marketing Blog

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It seems the favorite theme song for most real estate professionals is the one performed by Country & Western star Toby Keith titled “I Wanna Talk About Me“. The lone exception most agents would take to this song is the reference Toby makes  that says “occasionally I want to talk about me“. Want proof? Take a look at most “About Me” pages on agent real estate websites and blogs. While this example below is a slight exaggeration, it’s closer to reality than you think:

I am a top Realtor in Ego County. I am the greatest agent. I have lots of awards, I can help you buy or sell because I have more experience than you! Call me so I can tell you more about how great I am!

The above example might seem a bit extreme but you would be surprised at how bad some about pages really are! Instead of focusing on you (count all the I’s), and giving the usual laundry list of all your awards, credentials and more; focus on your clients for a change. Take a look at this outstanding example of a great About Me” page by Dakno client and Phoenix real estate agent Elena Thurston.

Treating You Like Family!

Buying a home in Phoenix is so much more than the price you pay for a piece of property. Selecting and making a house a home where life-long memories are made - now that goes straight to the heart of the matter. That’s why I love the Phoenix real estate business. When my families come to me after they have found their home where they can nurture their children and say; “I picked you because we share a common bond and you have kids.” that’s music to my ears!

Elena knows her audience and she effectively connects with moms and dads in a very emotional way. Notice how she weaves testimonials and success stories in her about page? Elena was even smart enough to add those great geographic keywords for her market - AWESOME! Combining those strategies is a great approach and enhances her SEO too!

Use Your About Page to Spotlight the Success of Others!

Be a cheerleader for your clients! Your readers want to know what’s in it for them and it is far more effective and powerful if you allow others to validate your value. Now that’s an effective way to use your about page to connect with your readers rather than singing all your self adulation.

Talk Directly to the Visitor

People often ask us “Should I write in 1st person or 3rd person?” Many people think it’s better to write in 3rd person. After all, it sounds conceded to “toot your own horn.” But here is the thing. Bad copy is bad copy. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s written in 1st or 3rd person! My advice is to write your about page in 1st person. This gives you an opportunity to speak directly to the consumer – just like a face to face conversation. Isn’t that the goal anyway?

Keep It Personal!

I say make your about you page personal. Allow it to show who you are and by all means, keep it focused on how you help them! Personally, I am a fan of letter style about page. Need more inspiration? I recommend you continue reading Elena’s “About” page titled “Family Ties” at her Finding Phoenix Neighborhoods real estate blog.

Your Challenge

Do you have an about you page on your website or blog? Most people do. Now go back and reread your about you page. I suspect you’ll find it’s time to make some changes - all for the better I’m sure.

Helping you connect with your audience,

Brad

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It’s something every real estate blogger dreams of, getting national exposure from the media. If it should happen to you have you considered what you would do with all that new found attention? And should you be even more fortunate to get some “link love” from the media, now that now that would be the ticket. It doesn’t happen often for most agents, but when it does don’t be caught off guard without a plan. That’s the subject of this post.

Dakno Client & Blogging BootCamp Graduate Strikes Gold

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It never ceases to amaze me how ineffective and lackluster our follow up emails can be. This is a common malady in every industry what with our casual use of email communication. It’s gotten to the point that many of us consider emailing like text messaging and instant messages. Too often emails go out filled with spelling errors, lack of capitalization, poor or no punctuation and obscure abbreviations. I say change the way you think about emails. They are permanent digital opportunities you should use to confidently demonstrate your value to you potential prospect or client.

Opportunity Wasted!

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If you have read any of my previous Active Rain post, you are ready know I’m a bit of a movie buff. One of the Carroll family all-time cult favorites is the movie “What About Bob” starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. In the comedy, Murray plays Bob Wiley, a multi-phobic psychiatric patient who becomes “OCD” over Dreyfuss’s character Dr. Leo Marvin who is an egotistical maniac psychiatrist. Take heart, I will not attempt Dr. Marvin’s “SEO” death therapy. I’ll stick with the 10 baby steps to better search engine optimization. :>)

Dr. Leo Marvin’s “Baby Steps” to Better SEO

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This post is actually the result of an email response I wrote today to Dakno Blogging Bootcamp student, Dena Calivas, Eco-friendly Realtor in Jacksonville, Florida. Occasionally it happens that way. I’ll be writing an email (yes-they are this long. Have pity on the recipient!) and when I have finished writing my (War & Peace) email, I’ll look back and think, now that is blogging material! If you are “hitting the wall” with writer’s block for your blog, go back and read some of your past emails to your clients or associates. Who knows what “blog fodder’ is just sitting in your sent folder.

Please Don’t FSBO Your Brand!

In my email to Dena, I was sharing with her the importance of conveying a consistent professional message with each component in her arsenal of online and offline media. Too often I see a “mashup” of different branding elements all thrown together. Many agents will produce something for their print media, then something totally different for their website. The outcome is a hodgepodge of dreadfully unprofessional branding gone awry. What a missed opportunity to make a positive impression. Much of it is the result of what I call “FSBO” design work performed by “DIY” real estate agents armed with a Publisher application. Most are looking to save a buck. Need I remind you that you get what you pay for.

Building Trust with Your Prospects!

Remember, it really is important you communicate trust and professionalism with your online and offline presence. This is accomplished by offering to your online and offline prospects and your clients a consistent look and feel for every piece of media you offer. It starts the moment you hand a prospect your business card or the instant a visitor arrives at your real estate blog or your website. That’s what I call an “impression” moment! The look and feel of each interaction opportunity should be duplicated.

Repeated Impressions Build Trust

Remember - repeated impressions builds trust. That’s Marketing 101. To do otherwise diminishes the trust factor you work so hard to develop. That’s why every interaction must be exact. I challenge you to take inventory of the following opportunities and make sure every one of these offer your prospect (or client) a consistent look and feel based on the anchor of your brand - your website:

•    Your website (the anchor of your branding!) From it every other piece should mimic it.
•    Your blog (the design should mirror your website)
•    Business cards
•    Thank you note cards
•    Letterhead
•    Email stationery
•    Car wrap/van wrap/moving truck wrap
•    Property take one flyers
•    Just Listed/Just Sold postcards
•    Direct mail postcards
•    Listing Presentations
•    Buyer/Seller Guides
•    Relo Guides
•    CMA’s
•    Yard Signs
•    Billboards
•    Water bottle labels
•    Koozies (form insulation for cans and bottles)
•    Print ads (Homes & Land, The Real Estate Book, newspaper and magazine ads…etc.)

There are probably others I have omitted, the point being, every one of these pieces is a golden opportunity to make a positive impression and solicit a strong call to action to your audience. Call today, email today!

Last But Not Least - Measure for ROI

If you offer any of these media by all means measure each for its effectiveness. If it’s not helping propel your business, evaluate it, retool it and if necessary, eliminate it. Just be careful with your brand. Making a major overhaul of your logo and your corporate identity should be approached cautiously. Take a look at the most recognized brands. They seldom make sweeping changes unless it is the result of a merger or buyout.

Devise a Focus Group

Now might be the most opportune time to gather all of your marketing collateral and place it in front of a small focus group. Maybe your focus group is made up of a past client, a new client and other unbiased friends and associates. Provide your group with examples of each piece of your marketing material and ask for their honest opinion. It’s a great place to start. From there you can begin to reign in your brand and hone it to your target market.

Any Feedback?

Everyone has an opinion - what’s yours?

Until my next post,

Bobby Carroll - Your Real Estate Marketing Guide

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Recently I’ve been sharing recently with our Dakno clients and my friends over at Active Rain about the need to expand their Internet presence by exploring the awesome applications available on the iPhone. Yes, you to can begin to broaden your web presence by using the tools that power the iPhone apps.

Map It Anyway!

Even if you don’t own an iPhone, you can begin to map your properties, your favorite restaurants, your area’s bike repair shop, or any other significant location by adding it to the website called Platial. Once the business, neighborhood school or your condo building is mapped and properly “tagged”, you’ll begin to enjoy enhanced search engine ranking as well as maybe a few more site visitors who happen to click over to your blog or website to view more information from their iPhone.

Demonstrate You Are a Tech-savvy Giant of an Agent!

The next time you have a listing appointment, say this to your potential client, “Because it is my fudiciary responsibility is to deliver the absolute best home selling results by helping you sell your property quicker and for maximum value, I utilize every means available to expose your property to as many potential buyers as possible. One of the many ways I accomplish this goal is by syndicating your property on many high-traffic national websites, and I also target the mobile computing tools available on the cell phone.” Follow that by saying; “There have been more than 3 million new generation 3G iPhones recently purchased by tech-savvy consumers and many of those same consumers will utilize their iPhone to help them search for their next home. To ensure your home is visible to those users, I will upload your home to numerous iPhone application powered websites like Trulia.com and Nearby (powered by Platial.com). That way I know your home is reaching even more potential home buyers.”

If You Use Those Lines!

If you happen to mention what I suggested above and you secure a listing, by all means come back here and leave a comment. Now go map your area and dominate your market (and think about buying a new iPhone especially if you close on that listing you just secured :>).

Until my next post,

Bobby

P.S. For a slightly different take on the same topic, be sure to visit my Crystal Coast Blog - it’s your Emerald Isle Real Estate and Rental Resource!

Post Update!

Scottsdale real estate agent Heather Tawes Nelson emailed me to say she dug into Platial.com and discovered from their “Terms & Conditions” that the site doesn’t permit commercial advertising. I suggest you refrain from “advertising” your listings on Platial.com. To take advantage of the Google power and the potential additional eyeballs you could capture, I say work the “I recommend this restaurant” or “this condo building is really close to this awesome gym.” The way you play by the rules. To me mapping schools, recommending businesses and the like are fairgame. Thanks Heather for the email - good call!

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As many of you may know. Outlook 2007 shows email stationery much different than in ealier versions. This is because with 2007, Outlook uses Word to render emails. While this does make it easier to format day to day emails, it can be cause Email Stationery to not display properly.

Another “feature” with Outlook 2007 is that you can no longer simply add Email Stationery by “browsing” for your stationery file. With 2007 you must first save the file to a specific folder and then select the stationery. It’s obvious that Microsoft is trying to phase out Email Stationery because with each new release of Outlook, it’s more difficult to incorporate Email Stationery.

It’s Still Possible.

Here are the paths for saving the stationery…

Stationery (.htm)

Windows Vista
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery

Windows XP or Windows Server 2003
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery

Note that you may  have to “show hidden files and folders” in order to access the paths listed above. To do this, follow these directions…

To display hidden folders, do the following:

* Windows Vista
1. In Windows, click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Appearance and Personalization.

If you are using Control Panel Classic View, double-click Folder Options, and then continue with step 4.
3. Click Folder Options.
4. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, under Files and Folders, under Hidden files and folders, select Show hidden files and folders.

* Microsoft Windows XP
1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab, and then click the Show hidden files and folders option.

Now that you can access to the folder, simply drag and drop your HTML email stationery file into the folder.

Now open outlook 2007 and select Tools - Options.
Select the “Mail Format” tab and click the “Stationery and Font…” button

Ensure that the Personal Stationery Tab is selected and click the “Theme…” button

You will now see a list of available themes listed in the left hand side. Select your Email Stationery from the list (it will be listed as the file name).

While they don’t make it easy, it’s still possible. But this leads me to wonder. Is Email Stationery dead?

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Helping Dakno Real Estate Clients Stay Ahead of Your Competitors

To help you stay one step ahead of your competition, it’s important your Dakno real estate website provide your site visitors more information-rich resources and advanced neighborhood and condo property tools. In fact, today’s web-savvy real estate consumer expects more from their online experience.

Delivering More Value to Your Real Estate Site Visitors

With more consumers “hard-wired” to hit the web to fact-find and search for homes, it is critical you provide your site visitors more value so you are truly seen as the ultimate real estate resource in your area. Based on your feedback and our innovative thinking, Dakno is excited to announce numerous new features and enhancements for your Dakno website and Agent Backdoor site editor. Below is a complete list for your review.

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At some point during your blogging adventure you may have a “hit the wall” moment when you stop blogging because:

• You get totally overwhelmed with your business – remember, you’re an agent first and a blogger second. It happens – just don’t beat yourself up about it. Get back in the blogging saddle when the time is right and try to be consistent.
• You have difficulty with writers block – “What do I post on next???”
• You experience blogger burn-out. Burn-out usually occurs when you experience exhaustion and fail to remember that blogging is a marathon and not a 100 yard dash. I always say slow and steady wins the day!
• You lose sight of the value of blogging and simply give up

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It seems a day doesn’t go by that a real estate agent doesn’t ask me, “does target marketing really work“? Then they follow that question with a statement of fear by saying, how can I succeed unless my website targets, first-time buyers, luxury buyers, condo buyers, relo buyers, lakefront property buyers and the list goes on and on! My first reply is “absolutely“, target marketing most definitely works! Then I say, don’t let your fear prevent you from experiencing success. The smart ones then say “if target marketing works - prove it“. I love it when they challenge me with questions and comments like that.

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