Every once in a while, someone pitches one of our clients and tells them that their solution is the best thing since sliced bread. Our clients are bombarded by advertisers, software companies, real estate website providers, online marketing companies, you name it. They're calling and emailing and calling again.

Most of the clients who buy from Boston Logic take a highly measured approach. They figure out what they need,  what it costs, compare solutions, and we come out on top. We're fine with this process. We're happy to go feature for feature with any platform.

Here's what stings: it's when the client gets a call from someone and doesn't do their homework. They make an impulse buy because the pitch over the phone was just that good. We're constantly amazed that business decisions are actually made this way.

Do you really have 2 completely different buying processes? For some expenses, you take weeks to figure out the right solution, document features, develop a budget, and then make an informed decision. For other purchases, you decide to spend thousands of dollars in literally minutes?

Here's a recommendation.

Consider any purchase carefully. Make decisions based on numbers, whenever possible. Real numbers. I'm talking about data. For example, If you're considering a new online marketing media, try to understand a cost/user or cost/lead. If you can't do better than where you are currently investing, don't buy it.

Also, don't get sold on one feature or even one idea. Look at a solution holistically. It's easy for a salesman to tell you about a nice feature in their website product and ask, "Does your real estate website do that?" Indeed, it may not, but there may be 20 features that your site does have that the product he's selling does not. I can't tell you how many clients have chosen other vendors only to come back to Boston Logic telling us that they made a poor decision.

If you need help developing specifications or comparing real estate web site design solutions, we're happy to help. Just contact the real estate website team of Boston Logic. Thanks.

You may have heard the Long Tail term in the past as it applies to optimizing your real estate website, but what does it really mean? How has it changed or improved in the years since the concept's introduction in 2008? And is it still a viable theory today?

In September's LogicClassroom, we'll answer these questions and more, as well as give you a quick refresher (or introduction!) course on the basics of optimization and real estate SEO. The internet has changed the way that businesses think about real estate internet marketing, and you should be up to speed. You need to understand The Long Tail, while also being able to achieve a balance with it in your online marketing campaign - and we can help!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. The class begins at 5pm.

To attend, please contact Katrina at 617.266.9166 or by email at ksierant@bostonlogic.com. Please specify whether you will attend the class at our office or online. We look forward to seeing you there!

You've been receiving your Monthly SEO Reports from Boston Logic (if you're signed up with us for one of our SEO / Social Media campaigns), or have been dutifully checking your Google Analytics for your real estate website each month. You may have noticed your website's "Bounce Rate", but do you know what a bounce rate is, or what it can mean to your marketing efforts?

In this LogicClassroom, we'll discuss what a Bounce Rate is, and what it can tell you about your
website. We'll discuss what you can do to decrease your  website's bounce rate, and how to encourage users to become more interactive with your real estate website. We'll also help you to understand what an ideal bounce rate should be for your website's market. We will cover real estate SEO techniques you can use to tweak your website to attract more relevant search results so that users can browse your site for exactly what they are looking for more easily. The longer you can retain a user, the more likely they are to contact you for your services!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. The class begins at 5pm on August 10th, 2010.

To attend, please contact Katrina at 617.266.9166 or by email at ksierant@bostonlogic.com. Please specify whether you will attend the class at our office or online. We look forward to seeing you there!

First, they can raise their head count. If we assume an average number of deals/agents - then the more real estate agents on your roster, the more real estate sales your real estate company will be a part of and the more commissions the company will receive. You can raise your head count by hiring more real estate agents or by buying other real estate companies. Sounds simple enough. Revenue is pegged to headcount.

Alternatively, a company can work to make ALL of their agents more effective. Remember that average number of deals per agent. Well, let's assume that the company doesn't want to hire more agents, just have their agents do more deals. The goal would be to raise that average. If your agents are doing 10 deals/year, on average, and you raise the average to 12, all else being equal, the office will make more money. By the way, so will the agents!

This somewhat assumes that the office is working on a classic split model - or does it?

Let me propose something radical. The best way to hire more agents is to have successful agents at your office. If your company has a reputation of making agents successful, then agents will want to work for you! Then it doesn't matter if you're on a desk fee model or a split.

Broker/owners, just imagine - instead of having 25 agents who do $50MM in transactions/year. You only have 10 - and they do the same sales volume! Sounds easier to manage, doesn't it. Or even better. Imaging you had 25 agents, 10 of them did $50MM and get a better split, the other 15 do another $50MM. You win either way.

So, how do you get your agents to produce more. Well, this isn't rocket science. First, they need leads. They need buyers and sellers reaching out to them. The office needs to be noticed. You have to stand out from the other guys in town. Next, you need to give your agents the tools they need to close deals with those leads. I'm talking about lead management, I'm talking about online marketing, I'm talking about social media and a great real estate website to serve as the foundation for it all.

If all you do is work on hiring agents and you don't give them the tools to succeed, they will come and go. They will under perform. Agents thirst for support, they want leads, and they want a company that gives them both. Real Estate agents will stand by a company that helps them succeed. If the agent was making $50,000/year at their last company and is making $60,000/year at your company, they're likely to stick around.

Also, the agents in town will take notice. They'll see your brand and your agents involved in lots of sales, on dozens and hundreds of yard signs. The agents will want to work for your company because you have the best website and your site has the best search engine placement.

Our clients see it all the time. Agents today want to work with a company that gives them what they need. They want a brokerage that provides leads and promotes their services.

The result is simple. The broker wins, the agents win, everybody wins.

Efficiency. Not only will you improve the image of your website with custom real estate website design features and templates, but you will also save time with our easy and efficient lead management system. And more efficiency for you means closing more deals!

Quick Turnaround. Our ONE System real estate software behind each real estate website allows you to simply chose a theme or template, and your website can be live in just 24 hours!

Customizable. Because Boston Logic specializes in  real estate website design, each website theme is designed to offer a unique aesthetic. Whether your real estate office desires a website with a classic layout or a sleek, modern style, we have just the theme for you. Additionally, we offer all-encompassing themes of the real estate market: so whether you specialize in rentals or sales, small towns or cities, traditional or contemporary, we can match your business style with a theme that reflects you.

Access to Countless Features. Purchase of a high quality, functional, and aesthetically pleasing website also includes access to countless real estate website features innovated by our development team. Among the standard and optional feature upgrades available, Boston Logic websites are  SEO Ready, Google Analytics installed, Mapped IDX Search, Blog, Live Chat, Neighborhood Profiles and much more! A few more additional standard features that are included with your real estate web site are mortgage calculators, saved searches, virtual tours, ConstantContact integration, and college search. Still not enough? We also have optional upgrades like Yelp! neighborhood info, Development profiles,  Zillow property valuation, and Dynamic Forms. (Find a complete list of features and read more about optional upgrades at our Sequoia brand's website here).

So what are you waiting for?  Take a step in the right direction towards a new and improved real estate internet marketing campaign today!

Contact us to get started!

617.266.9166

You may have attended a previous LogicClassroom on Search Engine Marketing where we explored the basics. Now we are going to take SEM to the next level by incorporating the principles of personal branding. We'll demonstrate how these online techniques work seamlessly to help you market yourself and your business.

Your personal brand shapes how others actually see and find you, and this is especially important to potential customers. With the right understanding of how personal branding works, you can position yourself as a trusted adviser, subject matter expert, or successful entrepreneur: it's entirely up to you! So make sure to stop by or log on and learn how personal branding and search engine marketing work together. The results are closer than you may think.

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. Take this excellent opportunity to learn how to utilize search engine marketing and personal branding to grow your business.

Contact Katrina at 617-266-9166 or ksierant@bostonlogic.com to attend. Please specify if you will be attending in the office or online via webinar. We look forward to seeing you all there.

We discussed Facebook Fan Pages; what they are, why they're good for business, how to create one, and how to get people to 'Like' your page (aka 'Become a Fan').  We covered the brand new changes to Facebook Privacy Settings (yes, they changed AGAIN); how create 'Friend Lists' to categories the types of people you associate with on Facebook (friends, family, clients, etc.) and how to completely customize who sees what on your profile utilizing these lists.  Once your employees view this slideshow, they will know how to protect their privacy and be more willing to 'Like' the company Fan Page and interact with it.  This presentation was designed with businesses in mind, but is valuable to anyone with a Facebook profile!

If you weren't able to attend the Logic Classroom, you can view the presentation below!

We host a new LogicClassroom on the second Tuesday of every month.  Our next LogicClassroom will be on May 11th. Please email Katrina if you would like to attend or sign up for our Newsletter at the lower right-hand corner of our home page to receive reminders and information about the next LogicClassroom.

Facebook, an integral aspect of any real estate internet marketing campaign, hasn't stopped growing - and neither should you. Recent privacy setting upgrades to the Facebook platform make it easier for you to control who sees what. If you have been to one of our Facebook training sessions, you probably know the basics, but in this LogicClassroom, we're going to take it to the next level.

Utilizing Facebook for your business strategy can be implemented by almost anyone with a little time and discipline. We'll talk about how to shape these campaigns and methods, and how to streamline the production effort required for your real estate internet marketing campaign.

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. Take this excellent opportunity to learn how to utilize real estate SEO and other means of search engine marketing to grow your business.

Contact Katrina at 617-266-9166 or ksierant@bostonlogic.com to attend. Please specify if you will be attending in the office or online via webinar. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Understanding your website is essential to improving it. In this Logic Classroom, we'll use Google Analytics to understand the key indicators that tell us what's working, what's not, and how to achieve better results.

Analytics can tell us a lot about our sites. Learn how to analyze inbound traffic from search engines. Gain insight into how effective our website is.  Discover what pages are effective and split test copy, design, and functionality. If you're getting analytics reports, but don't know how to make sense of what they're telling you, you're not going to want to miss this webinar!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic office (view map), or participate through an online webinar. Take this excellent opportunity to learn how to utilize search engine marketing to grow your business.

Contact Katrina at 617-266-9166 or ksierant@bostonlogic.com to attend. Please specify if you will be attending in the office or online via webinar. We look forward to seeing you all there.