Archive for Real Estate Website Tips
This guest post written by Lake Travis waterfront homes specialist, Sam Chapman.
Need Photos?
Many real estate agents building web pages or writing blog posts use photos. Some “borrow” photos from other websites either not understanding copyright laws or just completely blowing off intellectual property rights. This is not only wrong, it is theft. So where does a real estate agent go for photos if they don’t have any of their own that will work for a web page or blog post?
One excellent resource is Wikimedia Commons . Wikimedia Commons is a site that applies Creative Commons rules that allow people to use various media files in legal ways. Creative Commons defines various licensing options ranging from full copyright to public domain. The creator of a file, whether it is an graphic image, photo, video, or a sound clip, can post the file at Wikimedia Commons and tell potential users how the file can legally be used.
Many images are from various sources like some government agencies that may not be subject to copyright laws and that may place the images in the public domain. A photographer can release all claim to a photo by declaring that it in the public domain. Aside from public domain, there are various levels of licensing and each image or file at Wikimedia Commons will have a description telling people how a file may be used.
So if you need a photo and want to make sure you are using it legally, go to Wikimedia Commons and enter a term in the search box. Click on a photo that is returned that you like and read the conditions under which it may be used. You will find a database of almost 7 million files there.
We’ve been working very hard over the past several months to develop a new set of services focused on empowering real estate agents and brokers to take control over their real estate social media marketing. We’re pleased to announce these new services today!
The issue we hear about most from real estate professionals is that they know they need to get involved or increase their involvement with social media, but they’re not sure how.
The number of social media alternatives can be overwhelming. And, the ongoing time commitment to stay involved can be crippling. We’ve focused our services on helping you to get your social media activities under control!
Real Estate Social Media Marketing Services
We designed our services to help you get control over social media activities by:
- Establishing and integrating four key Social Media alternatives: Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Our approach is to structure a tailored set of services based on your objectives, and the level of participation you want to have in the social media world. This could be the push you need to get your social media marketing under control; visit our Real Estate Social Media Control page for more detail, call us at 888-716-2418, or send an email to get started!
Six Tips for Online Branding
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This guest post was written by Richard Soto, Broker – VIPRealty, marketing Houston real estate and recruiting experienced agents in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas
How do your clients and prospects choose you? Why should they call you over another agent? With hundreds of agents working in your same area why are you the most qualified?
Your brand as a real estate agent or broker is how prospective clients and buyers view you as a professional. Branding is not just a trade name or a logo, rather, it is the ability to recognize a name, and the reputation of quality behind it.
Tips For Online Real Estate Branding
Always use a professional portrait – Your photo is your business icon. Potential buyers and clients will call real estate professionals that they trust, and that trust starts with a likable photo. Be sure you get yours done in a professional studio, with hair and makeup styling if necessary. The face you present to the world should be the face of trust and confidence.
Highlight your differentiation – Like any business, you must emphasize what sets you apart from the competition, also known as the Unique Sales Proposition. What are your differential factors? Do you specialize in condos? High-end luxury homes? Does your record back a 90 day or less closing? Be sure your branding tells prospects why they should choose you.
Get a professionally designed website – The website you use to advertise your real estate services and listed properties must work on the highest levels. Easy navigation. Fast loading. Proper listing views, tours, and information. If you can’t do this yourself, hire a professional web designer.
Write articles – Part of good real estate agent branding is becoming known as an expert or specialist. Try publishing a blog with your website with helpful articles. It is also advisable to guest blog for other important websites.
Post online seminars – Another way to gain exposure as an expert is to produce informational seminars. YouTube is a great place to post your short informational video about special niche topics in real estate.
Social network standing – And finally, you must have a social network presence as part of your branding. At popular sites like Twitter, Facebook, and others, you get valuable exposure, gather contact lists, and have a place to gain valuable leads.
This guest post was written by Richard Soto, Broker – VIPRealty, marketing Houston real estate and recruiting experienced agents in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas
Developing Key Content for Your Real Estate Website
Content is king. The kings were once cash, and those who could afford advertising space. Now even the most humble of real estate marketing budgets can benefit from additional web traffic and more revenue through real estate search engine optimized (SEO) web content.
Writing and posting web content is a vital skill for real estate web owners and marketers who want to get their website noticed. Why would you, as a web marketer, want to get noticed? Here are a few good reasons:
- Increase your real estate web sales and revenue
- Improve branding
- Increase contact lists and customer base
- Become a recognized expert in your real estate community
These are just a few of the benefits of a successful content marketing campaign. And with the results of a content marketing study performed by Technorati, it is no wonder that more businesses will be expanding their content marketing efforts in 2010 and beyond.
- 71% of businesses say their blogging efforts have increased their visibility within their industry.
- 56% of respondents said that their blog has helped established a leadership position in their industry.
- 6 in 10 businesses plan to expand their efforts and increase spending on content marketing in 2010.
With so much to gain for your content marketing efforts, here are six tips that can help improve your content marketing success.
1. Create a Plan
It is useless to simply post articles or other web content without a sound plan. Develop a content marketing plan that you will use for your web marketing efforts.
2. Write Sticky Headlines
Your headline or title is probably the most important part of your content. If you can convince a web user to read the rest of your article or other content based on an interesting headline, you are 90% successful.
3. Research Hot Keywords
What is happening right now? Write content that is a hot topic for web users. Look to places like Google News, or even research trending topics on Twitter, to get the most used keywords you can use in your next post.
4. Write a Story
Your web content should be rich in keywords, but also be written in a style that captures a reader’s attention. Use story techniques like character development, conflict, and dramatic conclusion to get readers engaged with your content.
5. Make it Worthwhile to the Reader
The reader will ask him or herself, “so what?” Give the reader a benefit for reading your content. Can you provide new ways to style hair? Save money shopping for clothing? Easy home improvement tips? Let the reader take a nugget of valuable knowledge away.
6. Be Consistent
Writing a great real estate article or blog post is a great start in your SEO content marketing efforts. However, you must continue to provide great content again and again. Don’t stop with one or two good articles. Keep the flow going and be consistent in your content posting efforts
Real Estate Marketing: Bottom Line It For Me
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Do you have any idea what “bottom line it for me” means? That is a phrase someone I worked with once used all the time. I think he thought it was a nicer way of saying “Please, get to the point.”
In 2009, Dow Jones did an analysis of 711,123 press releases to identify the phrases that were so overused, they had become an ineffective way to communicate. They called it the Top 25 Gobbledygook words and phrases.
While you may recognize the pain as you review some of those words and phrases, don’t get too smug. The real estate industry has its own set of problems with gobbledygook!
When you’re writing any type of real estate marketing content, whether it’s for your real estate website or blog, or print advertising, make sure you’ve eliminated the goggledygook!
In real estate, there are problems with overused words. But, I think the biggest problem in the real estate industry is jargon.
Here’s the first dictionary definition of jargon: the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group.
The second definition is: unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.
If you’re using a lot of real estate jargon in your writing, your readers probably find it to be gibberish! So, it’s a good idea to proof anything you write looking for real estate jargon. Let’s make a list of real estate jargon. I’ll start.
Overused or Generally Confusing Real Estate Terminology
- Real Estate Industry Designations – GRIS, SFR, ABR, CCIM, CRB, CRS… and as you know, the list is very long. Without any explanation, what do you think those letters mean to a website visitor, for example?
- Distressed Property Terminology – Short sale, REO, distressed property, deed-in-lieu, etc. If you have a page on your website offering to assist homeowners in distress, do you think you should call it Short Sales? or Avoid Foreclosure?
- Buyer’s Agent – As far as Joe public is concerned, any agent who represents a buyer is a buyer’s agent. Are you surprised that people don’t want to sign a buyer’s agreement?
- Amortization – The act of making unwanted advances????
- Escrow - NAR helpfully defines this as: An item of value, money, or documents deposited with a third party to be delivered upon the fulfillment of a condition. What??? Sometimes, even the explanations don’t help!
Leave a comment with your favorite overused or jargon real estate phrases!
