Real Estate Internet Marketing

You’ve probably heard of Tim Ferris and his #1 New York Times Bestselling book The 4-Hour Work Week.  In that book, Tim shares ideas on how to build businesses using a minimum amount of of your personal time.

I like what Tim has to say for the most part, so today I’m giving you a link to watch his video for free on How to Build a High-Traffic Blog Without Killing Yourself.  This is a long video, but it has some good information on how to increase the traffic to your real estate blog.  Parts of the video are a bit too technical for me, and if they’re too technical for you too, just ignore them.

You’ll note that Tim uses Wordpress as his blog software.  That’s the blog software I highly recommend you use for your real estate blog.  If you want a reasonably priced Wordpress real estate blog created for you, go to www.sizzlingblogs.com.  Sizzling Blogs creates the best real estate blogs that look great and bring in a lot of leads.

One more thing I want to mention.  In my last post on real estate blogging, I told you about Matt Cutts, Google’s SEO guru and one of the most influential people on the internet.  You’ll notice that Tim talks about “Matt” in the beginning of this video.  He’s referring to Matt Cutts.  Oh, and by the way, Matt agrees with Tim that Wordpress is the best blog software to use. 

If you have any questions about the information Tim shares in the video, or anything else about blogging, just post a comment here, and I’ll answer fast.

To boosting traffic to your real estate blog.

Kathy Goughenour

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Have you noticed how many people claim to be experts these days when it comes to how to get your website to rank well on Google?  It makes it hard to know what to do with real estate internet marketing.

So, here’s the definitive answer on who the expert is on ranking well on Google.  His name is Matt Cutts.

Who is Matt Cutts? 
Matt Cutts is the head of the webspam department at Google.  I know that department name sounds odd, so let me make it easier.  He’s THE Google expert on search engine optimization. 

Cutts is Google’s direct line of communication to the public and he tells us exactly what Google want us to do – and how they want us to do it.  Sometimes his suggestions can be a bit vague, but usually he speaks in plain English that we average web users can understand.

Here’s a link to an article with Search Engine Optimization Tips for Bloggers from Matt Cutts.

Have questions about how to get your real estate blog or website to bring in more leads?  Ask them in the comments.  I promise I’ll answer you personally.

To boosting your real estate internet marketing leads,

Kathy Goughenour

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This morning I read an article from Susan Daffron, expert business writer, editor, trainer and marketer.  In her article Follow Your Own Path, she suggests that just because a marketing guru tells you that you “have to” do something because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s the right way you should be marketing your real estate business.   She goes on to say,

“You are an individual with your own strengths and weaknesses. If you’re a great speaker, you may consider doing teleseminars or in-person events to market. If you are a shy hermit who wants to stay behind a keyboard, those options may not align with your personality. For you, sending out newsletters or writing articles may be better marketing options. Don’t try and be someone you’re not.”

I’d like to add one suggestion to Susan’s idea.  If marketing your real estate business is important to you, and there’s a method you’d like to try that isn’t easy for you to do, consider outsourcing it.

For example, I know that adding video to my website and blog is a great idea.  But I don’t know how to do that and don’t want to invest the hours and hours it would take me to learn how.  Instead, I’m outsourcing the video creation process to a Virtual Assistant who is an expert at creating video.

Here’s another example.  Do you want to market your real estate business by blogging but don’t know how?  You can learn how for free by downloading my guide Blogging 101:  A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Building Business and Generating Tons of Leads Online.  Just fill out the simple form on that page (the form is on the right-hand side about halfway down the page).

If you already have a blog but are struggling to write the blog content, consider becoming a member of my Lead Booster Club.  As a member, you receive 20 pre-written, easy-to-customize blog posts each month for only $29.95.

To marketing your real estate business your way,

Kathy Goughenour

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As real estate agents scramble for listings and struggle to sell houses in today’s tough economy, they need to stand out to home sellers and buyers as savvy, resourceful, and in touch.  According to real estate marketing expert Kathy Goughenour, the easiest way to accomplish this is by highlighting pertinent, in-depth real estate content in blogs, newsletters, direct mail or tips.  Goughenour’s marketing service for real estate agents makes that method even easier by providing 20 customizable content pieces a month for just $29.95 (www.leadboosterclub.com).

“Whether they choose to distribute these content nuggets as articles, blog posts, postcards, part of a newsletter or ‘drip campaign’ tips, they’re easy to customize with the agent’s personality and local references,” says Goughenour, whose Lead Booster Club provides 20 content pieces a month as a benefit of membership in the program.  “With this timely, well-researched material on everything from saving money on home maintenance to pricing strategies for an economic downturn, an agent comes across as caring and knowledgeable – without having to spend time coming up with facts and ideas.”  (more…)

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This blogging tip is from Joanne Masterson of BlueJProjects Web Design

You don’t blog enough.  But you want to.  You know all the good reasons – better Google rank for your real estate blog – the increased traffic to your real estate website – building a reputation with your readers.

But still, you’re so busy you don’t know how you’ll squeeze out another blog post.

This post is NOT going to tell you how to manage your time, where to buy real estate blog content, or even try to motivate you to write more.

I’m going to tell you to surrender.

Leave your real estate blog alone.  Go check your email.  Take the next message from a friend or colleague that you respect and admire, and invite that person to write a guest post for your blog.

You may even know about guest posting.  But something stops you from asking.

I have a hunch it’s one or more of these show-stoppers

• My blog is personal
• My blog will look inconsistent
• I may not like what my guest writes

If you’re sweating blog upkeep, you deserve a truth that will set you free.  The truth is — what may be holding you back is treating your real estate blog content like it’s personal. I’m going to challenge you to re-think these objections one by one. (more…)

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Although the housing market may seem to have gone from bad to worse, real estate sales are still taking place, and therefore real estate agents still need to attract the attention of buyers and sellers before clients commit themselves to a competing agent.  According to real estate marketing expert Kathy Goughenour, author of Blogging 101: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Boosting Business and Getting Tons of Leads, there is more and more recognition among marketing experts that blogging is the best method for real estate agents to use right now to attract new business.

“In an economy where everyone is watching their dollars, blogging stands out as both inexpensive and effective,” says Goughenour.  “In the same month, both Marketing Sherpa and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® presented the case for blogging as a great way of reaching customers looking to buy or sell a home.” (more…)

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Your blog is an extension of your business and one of your most important real estate internet marketing tools.

Because so many potential clients begin the process of buying or selling a home through the internet, your blog may be the first impression you make on them. You will generate leads through your blog when its message and tone resonates with your readers.

Most people are now suspicious of big business’ pushy marketing.   Today’s potential clients want to know the individual behind the name of the company. They want to get to know your personality, what makes you tick and if you can be trusted to do what you say you will.

What does your blog say to your readers? Does your personality shine through your words and topics? Can your readers tell that you love what you do and the area in which you live and work?  Do you want them to believe you are the leading expert in your field? If your personal message isn’t shining through, change it so it matches your goals. (more…)

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Although blog writing is not like writing a research paper, you do need to follow some basic English language rules in your posts. This will boost your credibility and make your blog more readable. More readable blogs get more readers. That means you will get more real estate internet marketing leads from your blog.

Here are some rules you need to follow in each post.

1. Abbreviations. You may think everyone understands an abbreviation that you use regularly.  Do not assume that.  Spell words out completely so the meaning is clear.  Abbreviations are appropriate when text messaging or instant messaging but not in a blog.
2. Avoid run-on sentences. Run-on sentences happen when you stick too many ideas into one sentence instead of breaking them down into smaller pieces and these are very hard for people to read and they don’t look right. See what I mean? Shorter is always better for online readers. (more…)

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You want a blog that generates leads and improves your real estate internet marketing, so you want to showcase your best writing. Writing a real estate blog post is very different from writing a research paper. Your readers are not deducting points for misspelled words. They are looking for valuable information. They are looking for something easy to read.

Throw these English writing rules out the window when writing your blog posts.

1. Starting a sentence with “because” or “and”. Don’t get into the habit of starting all your sentences with these words, but don’t write yourself into an awkward paragraph because you don’t know how else to phrase something. And sometimes starting with “and” just sounds better.
2. Ending a sentence with a preposition. Don’t waste another minute worried about how to end your sentences. It’s perfectly acceptable to end a sentence with “to” or “for” as long as it helps your blog posts sound authentic. (more…)

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Here’s a press release I thought you might be interested in with instructions on how to download my new free guide to help you generate more real estate leads and easily create real estate follow up marketing …

When homeowners go online for help in buying or selling their homes, their first stop is often a search engine.  For the real estate agent in, let’s say, Homewood City who wants to maximize the odds that the searcher who types in “Homewood City real estate” lands on their site, a free new beginner’s guide explains how to snag traffic through blogging.

“The least expensive, most productive method for real estate agents to get relevant traffic from search engines is blogging,” says Kathy Goughenour, author of Blogging 101: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Boosting Business and Getting Tons of Leads Online.  “But when I surveyed real estate agents about blogging, I found most didn’t know much about blogging and couldn’t imagine what to blog about.” (more…)

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