Brokers and Agents often ask us about the best practices of managing leads, from the point of entry to a signed contract. When should I follow up and how? How often should I be in touch, and what are the best ways to engage? We have found that following a simple, systematic flow which combines persistence, common courtesy, and a reliable CRM system, is the best way to achieve a higher conversion rate. After all, the goal is always to turn more of your leads into DEALS.

Watch and learn from Boston Logic's President & Founder, David Friedman, as he takes you through the art of effectively managing and nurturing your leads to increase your client acquisition.

Learn more about how Boston Logic's Sequoia system can help you effectively manage your leads- sign-up for a no-pressure demo today!

Listed below are the steps to add a listing in Sequoia to Craigslist.

1. Log into your Sequoia account. Click on the Property Search Tab (orange) in the primary navigation and fill out the MLS ID or search criteria of the property you want to add to Craigslist.

Sequoia (Backend) Property Search

2. After clicking on search you will see the listing or listings with a couple of options on the right side (map this property, email listing, print listing & generate template). Click on 'generate template' (red box in image below), and you will see a pop up.

Property Details with Options for Further Action

Alternatively, click on the MLS listing number or the address of the property . This takes you to the listing page with detailed information. You can see boxes with options on top of the page (similar to the ones in the previous step). Click on 'generate template' and  you see a pop up of the template with all the information of the listing.

Sequoia System Property Listings Landing page

3. The pop-up includes all the details about the property listed on the website, along with the photos. You have the option of editing the template with an easy-to-use content editor (similar to the page editor in Sequoia). You can edit the listing information, logo, or the photos, according to your needs. Then take the following steps to post on Craigslist:

• Click on the source button (red box image below).
• Copy all source text - press Ctrl-A (select all), then press Ctrl-C (copy).
• Simply, paste entire text into your Ad system of choice (e.g. Craigslist form, Constant Contact form) and you are done!!!

*NOTE: Some ad systems, email or newsletter platforms may have html/visual editors so be careful to paste the source text in the html editor.

sequoia listings template with content editor

Learn more about how Sequoia can work for you with popular services like Craigslist- sign-up for a regular weekly training or contact client support!

Not a Sequoia user yet? Sign up for a no-pressure demo today!

In our last Friday Feature Focus, we discussed town pages & creating custom search boundaries for searches and town pages. This week, we'll be covering our interactive POI mapping tool, powered by Yelp.

In a standard Sequoia search, properties are shown both in search results and on each property's details page on a Google map, thanks to our proprietary LogicMaps tools. Now, you can go one step further and showcase the advantages and amenities of a location and all it has to offer - by using the rich, dynamic data provided by Yelp!

So what does this mean for you?

We can display local business and POI (Point of Interest) information, constantly updated by real users, right alongside the properties you are searching for.  So, as new neighborhood establishments open up and close down, or their products and services (and the opinions of their patrons) change, so will the information on your website.

You can watch a demonstration of our Yelp tool for the Sequoia platform in the video below-

If your Sequoia site doesn't already include this great feature, or you want to learn more about Sequoia, contact our sales team today!

Bounce rate is the percentage of single-page visits or visits in which the person left your site from the entrance (landing) page. Google takes your bounce rate into account as one of many factors when determining how to rank your site. The formula for bounce rate takes into account total number of visitors on one page and total number of visits.

R_b = T_v / T_e

R_b = Bounce rate

T_v = Total no of visitors on one page

T_e = Total no of visits

A high bounce rate generally indicates that site entrance pages aren't relevant to your visitors. One way to reduce bounce rate is to create landing pages tailored to keywords or ads you run. A high bounce rate may not be a bad thing, depending on the goals of your website.

When is a high bounce rate not bad?

Generally speaking, websites that are geared towards generating a high volume of leads have an average bounce rate of 30% - 50%. Therefore, if your goal is to get more leads, a bounce rate around that mark might not mean all bad news. For example: A visitor might have taken down a phone number/email from the home page or filled out a pop-up contact form and left.

A good indication of whether your website is working for you or not would be to find a robust CRM software (like Boston Logic's LogicLeads CRM) that lets you track leads & lead sources.

We will soon be hosting a LogicClassroom that will help you track and then leverage the numbers you're pulling from Google Analytics to create actionable tactics. Meanwhile, you can visit previous sessions about using Analytics, or email our marketing team to understand how to create a content strategy and the track it for effective results.

Tune in each Tuesday for a quick tip, and sign-up for the next LogicClassroom today....

Remember - Knowledge is Power. Don't Be Left Behind!

"How Do I see how many views my exclusive listings are getting?"

We often get this question from clients looking to see the exposure their listings are getting - it's a simple process to find out. Here's how:

1. Open your Google Analytics account, and click on the Content tab (it’s on the left sidebar). Once you click on it, you’ll see more information about analytics for your site including Site Content, Speed, Search, Events, AdSense (paid advertising), and in-page analytics.

Google Analytics sidebar content

2.  Click on the Site Content tab and pick the subcategory Pages

Google Analytics Content Tab

3. Voila!  You are now able to see the top ranking pages on your site, according to traffic.

4. This is all great information - but you want to see how many page views your exclusive listings are getting.

Let's go a step further and click on "advanced" (orange square) which is on the right hand side of the pages table. This opens a section on top of the table with a tab labeled "include" (red square).

Google Analytics Pages advanced Filter

5. Now go to your website and click on the listing you want to track in Google Analytics. The URL on the listing should look like this -

http://www.abc.com/properties/city/street/1616313  or http://www.abc.com/rentals/area/1231341

Copy the numbers at the end of your URL and go back to your Google Analytics pages dashboard.

6. Paste the numbers (for example 1616313) in the empty space on the right hand side of the empty tab (orange square) that previously was labeled "Include" (red square) . (Note that the tab labeled "Exactly Match" by default should be changed to the option "ENDS WITH". After you have completed the steps above, click "apply".

7. You should now be able to see the page views & other details  for your individual listing, as shown below.

Google Analytics pages view advanced filter on

Reporting on your listings is just one of the great value-added services that come along with a Boston Logic SEO and online marketing campaign. Contact us today to learn more!

WHAT IS A TOWN PAGE?

Town Pages is an optional component of the Sequoia System, integrated with our user-friendly Content Management System. A Town Page allows you to easily publish custom content about any towns, neighborhoods, or even custom areas you draw on a map yourself! Then you can decide what listings to show on these pages by setting up simple IDX search criteria, as easily as if you were searching for a listing. (The tool is shown below.)

Sequoia System Town Pages

The ability to create your own custom search boundaries for Town Pages gives you unlimited flexibility to display your listings. For example, you might have exclusive listings near a popular shopping district or a convenient public transit station. Sequoia gives you the ability to draw this area on a map and return only the listings within the area you create.

Create Custom Search Boundaries

The dynamic content shown on these pages (the IDX listings sourced daily based on your custom criteria) plus your own unique, custom written content will help your site rank better - it's a one-two punch that search engines absolutely LOVE. On a more personal level, Town Pages helps you market listings and target different segments in a unique manner - highlighting the benefits of a location while showcasing the great properties there, right on the same page.

Learn how to create Town Pages here.

If your Sequoia site doesn't already include this great feature, contact our sales team today!

Congratulations to Owner Alex Hodara and his team on their new Sequoia website- Boston Logic's first site launch of the New Year! At age 23, in January of 2009, Alex started what CNBC coined "the first student run real estate brokerage"- quickly growing from 4 rental agents showing apartments for just a few landlords, to 12 agents showing apartments for over 100 landlords in the greater Boston area. Hodara has recently been featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30 rising stars and 'disrupters' in the Real Estate category, and was honored by Businessweek last year as one of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs.

Hodara told Boston Logic that his website was simply not producing leads and lacked the user utilities to do so. He wanted a new site that would compliment his personal brand and reputation, act as a strong foundation for his rapid business growth, and continue to propel his success in a competitive online marketplace. Hodara chose our Modified Website Design Theme, backed by the Sequoia platform's specially integrated YouGotListings, Town Pages, and interactive search map.

Schedule a no-pressure demo today to learn more about how Boston Logic's cutting-edge website design, Sequoia software platform, and online marketing services can take your real estate business to the next level!

If you missed last week's LogicClassroom presentation with our guest speaker Colleen Barry, you'll want to check out the video recording below!

Boston Logic's special guest speaker, Colleen Barry is a Real Estate Marketing Consultant.  In this LogicClassroom, she talks about how to make your website a real business generator. All real estate agencies have websites, but most aren't being used to their full potential. Colleen discusses how to effectively generate new leads, convert current leads, retain current agents, and recruit new agents.

We host a new LogicClassroom every month!  If you'd like to find what our upcoming classes are about, visit the LogicClassroom page of our website and sign up online!

We came across a recent study conducted by Active Rain that we found surfaced some important and thought-provoking results. The study was based on 1,758 Real Estate professionals who were surveyed to help shed some light on one key question:
What separates the 'top producing' agents (those earning more than $100,000 a year) from the back of the pack (those earning under $35,000 a year)? Some of the results were fairly predictable, but others we found quite surprising.

Study Group Stats & Demographics:
- 22% of respondents were 'top producers' and 21% fell below the curve
- 58% of the 'top producers' were men (study group gender was split evenly)
- On average, 'top producers' had 11-20 yrs. of real estate experience (study group average experience was 6-10 yrs.)
- Study group age had no bearing on annual earnings of the agents (study group average age was 51-60 yrs. old)

Here's what we found most interesting in what seems to have the greatest impact on annual earnings amongst agents...

TECHNOLOGY: Top producers invest 6x as much.
Where does the spending go?

1. A top notch IDX site - the reason? Well, we know that a good website with an intuitive search (and integrated MLS data), is the backbone of attracting quality clients and capturing their information when their foot's in the door.
2. A CRM System (i.e. Lead Management System)* - turns out that being able to systematically manage a database of leads (or, the lifetime of customer relationships), was an integral part of the top producers' success and ability to build a volume business.
3. Email Marketing - top producers aggressively use email marketing to touch their clients more often (sending automated property listings via their IDX searches) and are also more likely to use email newsletters.

*This was the most dramatic finding in the survey results - nearly twice as many top performing agents use a CRM system than those below the curve.

The study also found that top earners are more aggressively using forms of 'broadcast' social media (any social channels which are public to all on the Web) - i.e. YouTube & Online Video (which we found somewhat surprising as other research seems to suggest that a very small number of agents are actually leveraging video to attract new clients, although potential home buyers are more likely to close with an agency that provides video listings over one that does not), Blogging, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Overall, the study showed that top producing agents spend 10x more on marketing, (specifically on online marketing and lead generation tools/campaigns).

Survey Conclusions...

We can conclude that what really seems to make the difference for top earning agents is the investment they make in themselves (as an extension of their business) and their ability to efficiently manage their time - time is money to these successful agents, making it a no-brainer to invest in programs and applications that streamline daily operations and produce exponential returns.

Admittedly, this is music to Boston Logic's ears- and supports our very own recent study on the difference of the total transactional value (summed prices of all homes sold and bought) between user's of our Sequoia Website Platform and the average agent/broker. Guest what we found? On the buy side, our clients using Sequoia average 33% more transaction value than the average agent on the buy side, and 43% more on the sell side (read more!). It would be very reasonable to assume that Sequoia's integrated CRM, CMS, IDX, Blog, and Social Media components are a direct causality of higher earnings per agent.

Contact us today for a no-pressure demo - see how Boston Logic's Sequoia System can increase your earnings too!

Part of a 24 city tour, this month's Agent Reboot was at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida this past Wednesday. Boston Logic was an exhibiting sponsor of the event, which was hosted by Inman News.

David's Thoughts...

I can personally report that we had some great conversations with Broker/Owners eager to leverage technology and the web to its fullest. It was also nice to see Inman News CEO, Tim Smith, out at the conference. Always well produced and highly informative, Tim is obviously running a top notch operation.

I was happy to sit in on another Social Media Insights panel with Florida-based RE/MAX Business Development Consultant, Frank Chimento. The discussion was again hosted by Inman's Social Media Director, Katie Lance. (As I mention Katie here, I should direct readers to a nice video "snapshot" of her presentation about killer mobile apps- pretty awesome). The audience posed many questions and certainly agreed that they wished there was some tool or service to help do the work of social media engagement (or at least, the syndication for that matter). And indeed there are tools - we were very happy to talk about our Social Media Accelerator with many agents and brokers who approached the Boston Logic team afterwards. Let me be clear...I'm not suggesting you should outsource your voice, but we know that when you've got to focus on selling homes for a living, starting with a foundation for inbound marketing is better than re-inventing the wheel!

One observation at the event that I thought was note-worthy...

There was 3 general levels of participants at the conference:

1) Most participants were new to the web and technology. Realtors are learning that they need to get involved, join the conversation, and start investing their time and money online. These agents were looking for steps 1, 2, and 3. This profile probably represents 90% of the attendees.
2) The other 10% of the agents in attendance are already working social media, search engines, and the web. They were looking to fine tune their campaigns. They want to know the latest and greatest, and how to take the next step. I'm sure they got more than they could have asked for.
3) The final group of attendees were Brokers and Owners. These folks were, generally speaking, looking for solutions that will help every agent in their office. Of course, many of these folks came right over to our table to talk about how we could work with them and their offices, inquire about pricing questions, talk strategy, etc.

I'm definitely looking forward to future Inman conferences. Special thanks to Madelyn and Mike for their help too!

-DF

(David Friedman, President & Founder of Boston Logic)