CEO Roundtable: Making Digital Media Work for Your Business
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Posted on September 27, 2010 Filed Under Facebook, Lead Capture, SEO, SEO Strategy, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | Leave a Comment
Wordpress: Great for Prototyping Your Online Business Model
I'm often astonished at the requests that we get from potential clients. They want to build sites that do all sorts of out-of-left-field things. They think they have a novel idea that no one else is doing. Sometimes they're actually right. No one else may have thought of their idea before, or it's only being done in Europe and it's time to bring this concept to the Yankees.
The fact that no one else is doing what you've thought of could be good, or it could be bad. Maybe no one's doing it because it's not going to work. Maybe no one is selling pizza with mustard on top for a reason...
On the other hand, maybe you're the first. The first mover advantage can be formidable. Maybe you're a visionary, a trend setter, the next Bill Gates. I don't claim to be one who can predict whether or not your idea will work, but we can help make good ideas succeed.
When each of these ideas comes across my desk, I first ask whether or not our Sequoia Real Estate Website platform can be used to accomplish what the client is asking for. For many real estate clients, making their wishes a reality are simply a matter of proper configuration and implementation.
For the really unique requests, I'm consistently amazed by how often there exists a Wordpress plug-in that can do the job. A friend asked me, just the other day, if we could have auctions happen on our site. I said, "No, but I'm sure there's a Wordpress plug-in that we could use." Sure enough there is! http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-auctions/
This got me thinking. Just how many business models can be implemented using Wordpress? Or, for how many of the ideas out there could Wordpress, with the addition of a few plugins, be used as a prototype? Let's just assume that the answer is: Many! The next logical question is either; That sounds too good to be true? or OK, what's the catch?
Well, the catch is that you have to live with the functionality that the plug-in offers. Odds are, it's going to do some of the things you need, but not all. it's also probably not going to link up to other business systems. For example, the auction plug-in I linked to above isn't going to integrate with your lead management system on your realtor web design. Also, the bidder seems to only have to enter their email, what if I want to require a phone number and street address?
Well, here's a thought, don't get everything you want, get some of it for very cheap, get your online business up and running and see how things go? You might find that the business moves along great, even without these few missing features. You might find other barriers to real estate marketing success that had nothing to do with technology. Suffices to say, you'll learn a lot, cheaply and quickly. If you fail, you didn't risk much, if you succeed, maybe you didn't need those features in the first place. Either way, you'll be better off.
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Posted on September 27, 2010 Filed Under Blogging, Blogs, Lead Capture, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Web Site, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate Websites, Sequoia Real Estate Solutions, Wordpress Blog | Leave a Comment
Why Real Estate Agents Need a Web Presence
For those of you who haven't latched on to our amazing new real estate agent sites, you may be wondering why you even need one. After all, you've gotten this far with your successful real estate business, why need an impressive web site for real estate internet marketing purposes at all?
Unfortunately, you may be missing out on potential leads - not only is the internet a prime source for potential buyers to find real estate, according to the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers for 2009, 94% of people looking for a home use the internet for the home-buying process. So you need a website because the internet is where your market is going to find places and people like you!
If you're not convinced yet, here are some more reasons you should push for a new real estate website and engage in real estate SEO:
1) Buyers looking to the internet. As we mentioned, a whopping 94% of buyers are turning to
the internet as their first means of search. Knowing this, will they be able to find you?
2) Real Estate SEO Ranking. It's not enough to just have a website. Users will most likely conduct a search with their search engine of choice, like Google. When they perform a search in your specialty or demographic, does your name pop up? Does it pop up before page 3? The more you optimize your website and blog with fresh content, the greater chance that you have to climb the rankings of search results.
3) You have a split second to make an impression. So a buyer has located your website through a search engine: now what? Do they stay and click around, or "bounce" off of your website? A real estate website design that outlines a company or agent's credentials and has helpful modal search windows is important. Your challenge is to keep viewers engaged and clicking through your website: so make sure you have professional images, a sleek format, and dynamic website content!
4) Advertise your website online. SEO is a great way to get started with your real estate online marketing strategy, but paid advertisements can get you even more exposure to your target market. You can use Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, where you can have great control over who sees your ad for what keyword prompts. You also only pay per each click your ad receives, which would ideally be attracting those interested in your real estate services.
5) Generate leads online. The last major selling point is that just because you have a website, does not mean that you can expect qualified leads to come to you. You can liken this to a real estate agent sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring - it just doesn't happen! You need to not only find leads, but also convince the lead that you are the agent for them. You can recruit these leads online, and using a Boston Logic's cutting edge Real Estate Website can give you great efficiency with lead management.
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Posted on September 24, 2010 Filed Under Lead Capture, Lead Generation, Real Estate Internet Marketing, Real Estate Lead Generation, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Search Engine Optimization, Real Estate Software, Real Estate Web Design, Real Estate Website Design, Real Estate Websites, SEO Strategy, Website Design | Leave a Comment
Logic Classroom | Understanding Long Tail Keywords
If you missed last night's LogicClassroom on Understanding Long Tail Keywords, please enjoy the slideshow from our presentation.
In this classroom we discussed the difference between generic 'Head' keywords and 'Long Tail' keywords, and what they mean for your Search Engine Optimization.
We talked about the Google Search Algorithm, and what the recent introduction of Google Instant means for the future of SEO and how searchers use Long Tail Keywords.
We also covered the basics of what a good SEO Keyword Strategy should include, and how to monitor and adjust your campaign as you go!
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Posted on September 15, 2010 Filed Under Blogging, Boston Logic, Lead Capture, Lead Generation, LogicClassroom, Real Estate Internet Marketing, Real Estate Lead Generation, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate SEO, Real Estate Search Engine Marketing, Real Estate Search Engine Optimization, SEM, SEO Strategy, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Optimization Classes, Webinar | Leave a Comment