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Creating Your First Sequoia Blog Post

The directions below are to assist you in creating your first blog post in a standard Sequoia Blog. If you chose to upgrade to a WordPress blog, you should refer to the Creating Your First WordPress Blog directions instead.

To create a Blog Post on your Sequoia website, you must first log into your new Sequoia website as a user that has been designated as a Blogger. If you are not a Blogger but would like to be, contact your office administrator to add you as a Blogger, or contact Boston Logic for support.

Once you log into the website as a Blogger, you will automatically be directed to the back end of the website, as usual.

Sample Sequoia 'Back End' Dashboard

However, to access the Sequoia blog, you will need return to the front end of the website. There will be a Home or Homepage link somewhere on the back end, usually either at the bottom or the top of the page. It will look similar to the image below:

Click the 'Home' Button to Return to the 'Front End' of the Website

When you return to the front end of the website, enter the blog like a reader would by clicking on the ‘Blog’ button from the Top Navigation Bar.

How to Create and Edit a Sequoia Blog Post

Click the 'Blog' Button on the Home Page to Visit the Blog

After you have clicked ‘Blog’, you will be brought to the main landing page of the blog that contains all the Published blog posts in chronological order. (If this is the first blog post, you won't see any posts listed yet).

At the top of the page, you will see a small orange icon and links to your Blog’s RSS and ATOM Feeds, which allows people to subscribe to your blog and receive notices when new posts are published.

Your Sequoia Blog’s RSS and ATOM Feeds

Below this Blog RSS Feed | ATOM Feed links, there will be a text link that says ‘Create Post.’ You will only be able to see this if you are logged in as a blogger for the website.

Click 'Create Post' to Start a New Blog

Once you click on ‘Create Post’ you will be brought back to the edit screen of the blog, which looks a lot like the back end of your Sequoia website. You will be able to add and edit your blog posts from this edit screen.

When you enter your blog Title, it will automatically generate a URL Permalink in the field directly below it.

Please Note: Until you are completely finished composing and editing your post, do not check the “Published” box found right below the Permalink field, or readers will see your blog before you want them to.

Enter and edit the body text of your blog post in the large space provided. Insert images and adjust formatting using the toolbar above the writing space. The buttons function much like the buttons in Microsoft Word. If you're not sure what a button does, hover your mouse over it and a description of the function will appear.

Insert Images & Format Your Blog Using the Toolbar

Be sure to add Categories that relate to your post; these can be found right below the blank space for your text. After a Category is created, it will be saved and available for future blog posts. It is important to categorize your blogs to help users more easily find topics that they would like to read about.

Once you have finished adding your Title, writing your blog, and tagging it with Categories, click the ‘Create Post’ button to preview your blog.

You can click the ‘Edit Post’ link at the bottom of the preview to make more edits to your blog post, or to return to the previous edit screen and check the ‘Publish’ box to post the blog 'live' if you have no further changes.

Edit Your Sequoia Blog Post by Clicking 'Edit Post' from the Preview Screen

Edit Your Blog Post by Clicking 'Edit Post' from the Preview Screen

Once you are happy with your blog, you can check off the 'Published' box. Be sure that you click the 'Update Post' button or the blog will still only be saved as a Draft.

Now you're blog is posted and viewable by your audience!

Learn the New Sequoia CRM! Sign up for 1/11 LogicClassroom NOW!

Boston Logic will be teaching an in-depth LogicClassroom on the recent upgrades to the LogicLeads component of our Sequoia Real Estate Web Sites.

Join us to learn how to utilize the new features and CRM functionality of LogicLeads to help you convert leads into deals! The LogicLeads system is the most effective way to stay organized, manage your time, and monitor your pipeline- and we've just made it more powerful and even easier to use!

We'll be discussing the new components of the CRM, launched just a few weeks ago - including Task Creation and Management, Lead Management, Event Creation, and more in this 30-minute class.

We recommend any clients currently using the Sequoia system attend this LogicClassroom on Tuesday, January 11th at 5pm.

Don't have a Sequoia real estate website by Boston Logic? This class is your chance to see how easy the Sequoia Dashboard is to navigate and to see a live demo of an exciting component of the software and all of its capabilities!

This LogicClassroom is a great opportunity to learn how to make the most out of your Sequoia website, to more effectively captures and manage leads. Don't miss out, sign up today!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic Office (view map) or participate through an online webinar. The class begins at 5pm on January 11th. Don't be late!

To register for the event, please contact Angela at 617.266.9166 or by email at adavis@bostonlogic.com. Please specify whether you will attend the class at our office or online.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Feature Development Profiles on your Real Estate Website for More Leads & to Gain SEO Ranking! 1/4/2011

Development Profile Pages: Great for SEO!

Today, realtors know that new construction fetches a higher sale value. That's why so many of our clients want to feature condo developments, subdivisions, and high rise buildings on their site. So Boston Logic has developed a software component to help agents do just that!

Development profiles allow you to create attractive pages on your site packed with details on developments in your real estate market. Our software then populates these pages with the data that you've entered and we supplement with listings within the development pulled from your MLS.

Add the developments component for only $25/month, or for $250 per year!

Already have development pages on your real estate web site? Great! Follow the steps below to utilize this great feature on your real estate website design for both your leads, and for your SEO ranking in your real estate website marketing campaign!

Adding Development Profiles To Your Real Estate Website

1. Click the "Developments" sub item under the CMS tab
2. Click "Addresses" to the right of the development's name in the list
3. Click "Create New" in the top right of the address editing view
4. Enter address info and click "Create"

You can enter as many addresses as you like for the development; the more addresses you enter, the more search results will be generated by MLS. For example, you can enter "Tremont Street", "Tremont St.", "Tremont St", etc.

Addresses can be edited or deleted at any time by clicking on "Addresses" next to the development's name on the list and then clicking either "Edit" or "Delete".

To add pictures to a Development:

Click CMS - then Developments - then Pictures

1. Click the "Development" sub item under the CMS tab

2. Click "Pictures" next to the appropriate development's name on the list

3. Click "Create New" on the top right corner of the Pictures view

4. Click "Browse" to find the image on your hard drive

5. Enter a description for the image, if desired

6. Click "Create" to add the image to your development's page

To add Floor Plans or Listing Sheets to a Development:

CMS - Developments - Floor Plan

1. Click the "Developments" sub item under the CMS tab
2. Click either "Floor Plans" or "Listing Sheets" next to the appropriate developments' name on the list
3. Click "Create New" on the top right corner of the view
4. Title the document if desired, and click "Browse" to find the file on your hard drive (NOTE: These files must be in PDF format)
5. Click "Create" to add the document to your Development's page.

Questions? Contact us!

LogicClassroom Announcement: Sequoia’s New CRM Upgrades

If you are a Boston Logic client, you’ve seen the recent upgrades to the LogicLeads component of our Sequoia Real Estate Web Sites. The LogicLeads system is the most effective way to stay organized, plan your time, and keep an eye on your pipeline. Now, we've upgraded the system to include CRM functionality that will help you convert leads into deals!

In this month’s LogicClassroom, we are going to take you on an in-depth tour of the new CRM components, and show you all the new features we have added to LogicLeads. The new year is the perfect time for a refresher on how to use the platform. You'll thank yourself for making the time.

Don’t have a Sequoia real estate website by Boston Logic? Now’s your chance to check out just one component of the software and all of its capabilities! Along with the more basic features already included in the Sequoia platform, we’ll delve into the new components of the CRM, launched just a few weeks ago – including task creation and management, lead management, and event creation, just to name a few.

This concise, ½ hour LogicClassroom is a great opportunity to learn how to make the most out of your Sequoia website, and to understand how to enhance your real estate web presence. Don’t miss out, sign up today!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic Office (view map) or participate through an online webinar at your convenience. The class begins at 5pm on January 11th.

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!

Agents Are Signing Up For Boston Logic’s Social Media Accelerator!

Online real estate marketing demands a fairly competitive social media presence. Do you know how your social media profiles stack up to those of your competition?

The Social Media Accelerator, the latest online marketing tool offered exclusively by Boston Logic, will ensure that your social profiles are optimized, syndicating content, and attracting leads with an interesting, attractive, and engaging profile.

Once implemented, you will be on an accelerated path to social media success! You'll simply need to log into your accounts and interact with your Followers and Fans.

The Social Media Accelerator will:

Add a Sales and/ or Rentals Property Search to your Facebook Page or profile.
Feed your Exclusive Listings directly to your Facebook Wall and your Twitter Feed.
Syndicate your blog to Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

We do the hard stuff; you get to do the fun stuff!

Boston Logic Attends Networking Events, October 2010

October was a busy month here at Boston Logic! We attended three large real estate conferences in October: the RE/MAX Fall Rally in Providence, the Inman Agent Reboot in Boston, and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) Conference in Worcester.

The RE/MAX Fall Rally took place on October 6th in Providence, Rhode Island. What started as an early trip to set up at 7:00 a.m. became a great experience to reach out and talk to new client prospects. There was great discussion specifically around our Agent Sites, which are personalized web sites for individual agents on our Sequoia real estate website design platform.

We also talked about the importance of Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. We then attended the Inman Agent Reboot event which took place right in our backyard at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The conference was a full day event educating real estate agents on the importance of having a web presence, engaging with social media and SEO best practices. It was a great platform to discuss our offerings and specialties in real estate web design and marketing.

Our last conference this past month was the MAR Conference in Worcester, MA. Wielding sleek new company signage, Boston Logic set up for a great day of stimulating discussions on real estate and website design best practices. The trade show took place October 19th-20th, and attracted agents and brokers from all over Massachusetts. Additionally, Boston Logic President David Friedman gave a dynamic, in-depth presentation about Social Media for real estate marketing, and how you can use it to grow your business.

Interested in getting involved in the latest real estate marketing media, or are interested in strengthening your web presence with a new robust real estate website? Contact us today!

Marketing to Your Facebook Network: 10/18/2010

Facebook: Free To Join & Over 500M Users

Leveraging social media is an important part of any marketing campaign. In past posts we've how to start a profile on Linked In. Now we need to talk about Facebook, the most popular of all social media networks, and how to utilize features and applications to help you reach potential leads and get them to visit your website!

Remember- the average Facebook user has at least 150 friends. Every time a user 'Likes' a Fan Page, or comments on one of your posts or photos- it is syndicated to the News Feeds of ALL their friends; FREE Advertising. This kind of exposure is really expensive to buy!

Unleash the power of Social Media Marketing! Become involved with your Fans, and be pleasantly surprised by the results!

Fan Pages vs. Personal Profiles vs. Groups

If you are part of a brokerage firm, the firm may already have a Facebook Fan Page (if they don't, tell them they should!), and you most likely already have a Personal Profile you use to connect with friends and family. But have you created a Fan Page for yourself as a real estate agent?

Using a Fan Page to market yourself on Facebook instead of (or along with) your Personal Profile has a lot of benefits. People cannot tag a Fan Page in a photo, so don't have to worry about clients seeing embarrassing photos of you posted by your family or friends. Potential clients will feel more comfortable 'Liking' a Fan Page than they would 'Becoming a Friend'. It also projects a more professional image than simply using your Personal Profile to network.

Of course you should 'Suggest' your Fan page to all your current friends, and ask them to do the same to increase your fan base!

You can always 'Friend Request' Fans that comment or interact with your Page, or once you've had a real-life interaction with them, or you're comfortable with them, etc. 'Sharing' posts from your Fan Page onto your Personal Page is a great way to encourage others to 'Share' (aka syndicate) your posts as well.

As for Groups- DON'T start a group for your company or yourself. Groups are intended for groups of people who share similar interests to meet and plan events, etc. A good way to utilize Facebook Groups would be to start one for your niche, like a 'Boston Student Apartments' Group, or a 'Boston Luxury Living' Group to try to meet new potential leads. Be creative, and be active.

Creating Your Own Fan Page

Creating a Fan Page is easy! You need to have a Person Profile to become an Administrator of the Fan Page; every Page needs at least 1 Admin.

1. From your 'Home' Page of your Personal Profile, select the 'Ads and Pages' menu below your thumbnail photo.

2. From the 'Pages You Admin' screen, click the '+Create Page' button at the top right corner of the page.

3. Create an 'Official Page' for a 'Local Business', select 'Real Estate' from the drop-down menu, Name your Page, and check the box stating you are the official representative of this business. Then click 'Create Official Page'.

Once you've created a page you can begin by filling out your Information Tab, suggesting your friends and family become Fans by 'Liking' your Page (click the 'Suggest to Friends' link below your Fan Page Profile Image), and uploading Photos!

You Can Also:

Start Conversations on Your Discussions Tab with your Fans (aka Potential Leads) to learn about their needs and wants and answer questions they may have about certain neighborhoods or buildings, etc.

Create and Market Events like Open Houses on your Events Tab, and invite your Fans as well as your friends from your Personal Profile- the best of both worlds!

Create Photo Albums for Featured Properties and add links back to the property listing your website (very important for SEO purposes). Create Photo Albums for Events you host, charity work you do, etc.

Syndicate your Blog to Your Fan Page. Setting up an RSS feed from your blog to your Fan Page is a great way to get people noticing and reading your blog! We recommend using the Networked Blogs application, because it will automatically syndicate to your Wall and your Fans' News Feeds whenever you create a new blog post, and it will also catalog your blog posts on a Blog Tab so fans can easily locate and browse your blog right on your Facebook Page!

Add Property Searches to Your Fan Page. Contact Boston Logic for help with adding a Property Search Tab that is linked to the MLS searches on your new Agent Site, and installing 'Like' buttons on your Agent Site and blog.

Add 'Like' Buttons to Your Website and Blog. This is a little tricky and requires some programming knowledge to install properly. Read our blog about why these new 'Like' Buttons are great for your business and contact us for help getting them installed!

Add Links to Your Profiles to Your Website and Blog. You should also link to your social media profiles from your website and blog so people can easily connect with you more easily. The Sequoia System makes adding a Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn logo in your website footer as easy as filling out a field on a form. Read our Q&A Tuesday blog about Easy SEO on the Sequoia System to learn more.

Build and Maintain Your Network. Make sure to continue to build your connections. Take 15 minutes out of your day to comment on your Fans' and Friends' posts. Join/ create a few groups and participate in online discussions. All of this online activity will help others gain interest in you and your business, as well as increase hits to your website!

More Resources:

If you'd like more information about Fan Pages, you can visit our blog to view a slideshow from a recent LogicClassroom we hosted about Keeping Up with Facebook; how to leveraging Facebook for your business, including more detailed instructions on how to create a Fan Page and the latest changes to the Facebook Privacy Settings for Personal Profiles (to help ensure your clients aren't seeing your private information!)

To learn more about protecting your online presence and social media liabilities, read our blog on Taking the Social Media Plunge.

For some help working through your writer's block, read our blog on Ideas for Real Estate Blogs.

LogicClassroom Announcement: “Blogging 2.0″ on October 12th, 2010

Enhance your knowledge and expand your understanding of real estate internet marketing with our latest LogicClassroom on Blogging, 2.0!

Blogs have come a long way since their inception, and are now a necessary aspect of a successful marketing plan for any business website design desiring to create unique web content and reach potential clients and customers on the web. But writing high-quality content is only half the battle!

In this concise, 1/2 hour, FREE LogicClassroom, we will cover what Bloggers need to know in order to integrate and syndicate their content to stay current with the Web 2.0 world. We will cover the basics about Blogging Best Practices, methods of syndication, and will teach you how get the great blogs that you create noticed!

You are welcome to attend at the Boston Logic Office (view map) or participate through an online webinar at your convenience. The class begins at 5pm on October 12th.

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!

Real Estate Website Q&A Tuesday: SEO and Sequoia 10/5/2010

For today's installment of Q&A Tuesday, where we discuss Frequently Asked Questions we receive from clients or potential clients regarding our Sequoia real estate website platform, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about website optimization. We are constantly being asked about search engine optimization and how our Sequoia websites can help our clients in their search engine marketing efforts.

Here at Boston Logic, we realize the importance of search engine marketing and optimization for your real estate business. Search engines are the way most people find information and services they want- and if your website is not optimized, it is less likely that potential clients will find you.

Even if you've never heard of Search Engine Optimization, a Sequoia website will make optimizing your web presence easy!

Q: How will switching to a Sequoia website help me with SEO?

A: The Sequoia platform was designed specifically with search engine optimization in mind! Sequoia is a cutting edge website platform that integrates the most advanced real estate website features enabling leading-edge marketing campaigns- and we're constantly improving it! Whenever there is a Sequoia system upgrade, your site is upgraded automatically, so your website will always be using the best technology in the real estate industry.

Q: I don't understand SEO. Will I still be able to benefit from the SEO features of a Sequoia website?

A: Yes! With a Sequoia website, adding important Meta Data (such as Page Titles, Page Descriptions, and Keyword Tags) to your website pages and creating custom URLs (essential elements of a well-optimized page) are as easy as filling out a field on a form! You don't have to be an SEO specialist or know HTML to improve your search engine ranking! Simply fill out the fields provided as you create your pages!

Adding Essential SEO Elements to a Sequoia Website is EASY!

Adding Essential SEO Elements is EASY!

Q: Is there support available if I need help with my SEO?

A: Yes! Your Sequoia website comes with a very informative Users Guide tab you can access from your Admin dashboard. We are constantly adding easy-to-follow demos and step-by-step instructions to the Help Section of this blog, and articles on SEO best practices on our blog at RealEstateSEO1.com.

Here are a few suggested links to help get you started:

Real Estate SEO is a Process

Optimize Your Site to Get More Traffic and Leads

Simple SEO for Your Blog

Q: I heard that using Social Media could help my SEO; how do Sequoia websites integrate with popular social sites?

A: You heard correctly! Utilizing social media sharing and social media websites are integral parts of any good search engine marketing strategy. We are constantly upgrading our system to keep up with social media trends.

Sequoia websites also give you the ability to add Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn icons to your website's footer that link to your profile pages on these social media sites. Setup is easy! Simply copy and paste the URL of your profile page into the 'Social Media' fields on your 'Configuration' tab from your Admin dashboard, click 'Save' and your icon links appear automatically!

The more ways you give potential clients to connect with you, the better! We can also help you set up MLS and rental property searches on your Facebook Fan Page that connect to the property searches on your website, and help you set up an RSS feed from your blog to your social media profiles!

Feature Upgrades for Sequoia Real Estate Websites: 9/28/2010

Always innovating at Boston Logic, we have recently launched a new round of Sequoia real estate website features and upgrades this past month.

Improved Property Details. Sequoia has now improved the details on the Admin access details on a specific property, which will show every piece of information that we get from each MLS on your real estate website design. One the front-end, your leads will now be able to see all absolutely all information details (legally allowed, of course!) on an MLS property!

Upgrades to Town Pages. If you are creating a sales town page, you no longer need to enter a MLS ID, Town, or Zip Code if you simply check the "Featured" check box! (This allows you to create pages like "All My Featured Properties Priced over $1 million") You can still enter towns, zips, or MLS ID’s as well to further refine searches. Additionally, you also now have the ability to add Sold / Pending listings to a town page!

System Upgrades. We will now be using the highly reputable Sendgrid as our new email delivery service, which will ensure greater deliverability. Sendgrid will also be able to reduce the amount of emails that are being air marked as spam. We have also upgraded the servers that are responsible for distributing our emails, so we can now send more emails and send them faster.

Lead Import Upgrades. Agents importing leads on their real estate agent website design will now correctly log those leads has being created on the agent site as opposed to the brokerage site. Leads imported by Office Managers are now assigned to that Office Managers office but not to themselves as the agent, so they go in as office only leads. This will allow the Office manager to easily distribute those leads to the correct agents

New MLS's. We now offer a new MLS for our Sequoia Real Estate websites, (MREIS) which is now live for the state of Maine!

New Adherence to Email Marketing vendor rules (iContact and ConstantContact). These vendors do not allow you to automatically subscribe people to email lists. We added settings to the Settings / Configuration / Email Marketing section. There is a "Mailing List Signup checkbox Label" setting which is what you would like the wording next to the checkbox to be on the form. Also, there is also a dropdown of your CMS section to pick the page which has your policy on what you will use the email addresses for. Both are required to be filled out / selected for the mailing list signup functionality to work. We have a link (open in a new tab) to the policy page next to the checkbox to subscribe to the mailing list.

Search Updates. Added "Waterfront Only" checkbox to the advanced search box on all themes!

Property Access. If a lead is not logged in they can now access a companies sold listings without having to log in to your website.

Automatic Password Expiration. This feature is required by MREIS - Passwords for leads only will expire after a set number of days after the last time a password was created (or updated). The number of days is set on the company (MREIS requires 90 days). To disable the feature, make sure this number is 0.

7 days before the password is set to expire the lead will receive an email telling them their password will expire in 7 days and they need to reset the password to continue using their account, it will contain a link to reset the password

If a leads password has expired and they try and log in, they will be redirected to the reset password page (they will also receive an email telling them their password has expired with the link in case they do not choose to reset their password at that time)

Rentals Updates. We have added the type ahead location selection for both LogicRentals and Rentjuice searches. Works just like the sales type ahead search forms.

As always, let us know if you have any questions! Read about Sequoia's realtor web design features.

Creating Your First Sequoia Blog Post

Related Links:

Learn the New Sequoia CRM! Sign up for 1/11 LogicClassroom NOW!

Related Links:

Feature Development Profiles on your Real Estate Website for More Leads & to Gain SEO Ranking! 1/4/2011

Related Links:

LogicClassroom Announcement: Sequoia’s New CRM Upgrades

Related Links:

Agents Are Signing Up For Boston Logic’s Social Media Accelerator!

Related Links:

Boston Logic Attends Networking Events, October 2010

Related Links:

Marketing to Your Facebook Network: 10/18/2010

Facebook: Free To Join & Over 500M Users

Fan Pages vs. Personal Profiles vs. Groups

Creating Your Own Fan Page

You Can Also:

More Resources:

Related Links:

LogicClassroom Announcement: “Blogging 2.0″ on October 12th, 2010

Related Links:

Real Estate Website Q&A Tuesday: SEO and Sequoia 10/5/2010

Related Links:

Feature Upgrades for Sequoia Real Estate Websites: 9/28/2010

Related Links:

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