Welcome to another instalment in our new agent strategies series, where agents from around the globe share their tips for success in online marketing.

Today’s strategy comes from Andrea Swiedler, a realtor with Prudential Adams & Associates in New Milford, Connecticut. Read on to find out how she increased her traffic with a combination of blogging and SEO:

I believe success online is a combination of things, not just one thing. Blogging will keep my content fresh, while SEO has a very big place in both my blogging and my websites. Without using SEO even the blog would fail to make it on page one.

Before I came to ActiveRain and started blogging and learning about the right way to direct traffic to my blog and website, my stats were down – the only way you could find me was if you could spell my name! I went from stats like 192 unique visitors in March of 2008 (pre-blogging) to 692 for March in 2010.

I am sure this is a direct result of blogging and SEO combined. Although that may not seem like a large number, I am located in a town with a population of about 26,000 and a lagging market. The other towns I cover are much smaller – 3,500, 3,000, you get the picture. These towns have a fair amount of luxury second homes. A very tough market indeed. So all in all, I am very pleased with the results I am seeing and only expect it to increase as my skills with SEO and blogging increase.

To understand what is going on a bit better I have Google Alerts set up for a few of the keywords for my website. Google has started picking me up almost instantly when I write fresh content on a subject.

Again, blogs work, SEO works. I have had leads that came from the Internet – leads that closed sales. Those are the important ones!

Got a great online marketing strategy you’re keen to share? Get in touch with us at editor@propertyadguru.com. For more SEO tips, check out our guest series here.

Welcome to our new Agent Strategies series, where we get the inside word on how agents from across the globe are marketing themselves online.

Today’s strategy insight comes from Jim Cheney, an agent who works in Rincon Valley, California. Jim is using a formula that should be familiar to most readers – driving traffic to his website via a regularly updated blog. Jim’s story shows just how effective this simple strategy can be:

“I’ve been a real estate agent since 2003, and mostly advertised in the local newspaper and Homes and Land Magazine. The newspaper was about $400 a month for classified and open house ads, and Homes and Land was $800 per issue for a full page ad. At the end of the year I would have spent thousands of dollars on advertising.

In 2009 I took a technology in real estate seminar presented by Dick Betts, a national real estate trainer. I learned of the positive aspects of blogging, and how and where to blog. I try to blog daily, and am the top blog producer on Active Rain for Sonoma County.

I recently began “hyper local” blogging where my blogs are about local issues related not to my city, buy to my neighborhood (Rincon Valley). My articles are keyword rich, which makes my blog pop up on the the first page of a Google search containing “Rincon Valley property” as the search term.

I get one to two contacts per week from potential clients who visit my web page. When I ask these contacts how they became familiar with my website, they tell me they found it while searching for property on the Internet.

I no longer do print advertising. I get more leads now at a minimal cost ($30 per month for an Active Rain premium membership) and the cost of my website, saintfrancisproperty.com.

I’m lucky that most of my peers have not realised the power of blogging or SEO, and still rely on print advertising. I’d be willing to bet only 10 percent of the agents in my office know what SEO stands for. I laugh when I look at the local newspaper classified section and see seven listings advertised in a city that has hundreds of active listings.

I know that eventually my peers will catch on and I will have more compitition for Internet clients, however I will be far ahead in the game, and to tell you the truth, am not really concerned.”

Got a great online marketing strategy you’re keen to share? Get in touch with us at editor@propertyadguru.com.

While plenty of real estate professionals start a blog with the simple aim of generating more website traffic, many quickly find that the day to day realty of blogging is tougher than they first thought.

Coming up with ideas in the first place can be difficult enough, but what about when your readers decide to take you to task on what you’ve written? How do you confront negative feedback without the conversation degenerating into a mud-slinging match?

For a few tips, let’s take a look at a recent example of negative blog feedback from New Zealand. Market leading portal realestate.co.nz recently unveiled a complete redesign, prompting a swift backlash on the portal’s blog.

realestate.co.nz CEO Alistair Helm did a couple of things right in responding to the criticism in the blog comments:

To begin with, he responded personally to as many commenters as possible, addressing many by name.

Helm also kept his answers polite and comprehensible, even though the situation was, he admitted, “personally disappointing.”

Finally, he thanked each commenter for their contribution, despite that fact that most were critical of the new-look website.

Helm has a major real estate portal’s reputation to consider, so there’s little chance his responses were going to be anything different. That said, there’s no reason real estate agents shouldn’t take the same approach when negative comments pop up on their blogs.

When you think about it, there’s a lot more at stake than winning an argument with a commenter. If you can respond to a negative comment with some forethought and poise, you’re also presenting yourself, and therefore your business, in the best possible light. And that has to be a positive.

[Image: thesituationist.wordpress.com]

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: a good blog goes a long way. Done right, your blog should be a valuable source of traffic for your website and, therefore, leads for your business.

But anyone who’s ever started a blog knows that once the initial enthusiasm wears off, coming up with fresh ideas for posts can be a daily struggle. If you’re stuck staring at a blank screen, try these sources for a hit of inspiration:

News – Most people include at least one news website as part of their daily online routine. If there’s something newsworthy you can comment on, you’ll have the added bonus of being part of an evolving online conversation, which could generate extra attention for your website while the topic stays in the headlines.
What’s On – Any guide to upcoming events in your area could be a goldmine for post ideas. By providing people with this kind of information, you’ll only add to that all-important sense that you know and care about your local market.
A Map – Even if there aren’t any upcoming or recent events you can blog about, scanning a map of your area might just jog your memory about that great hiking trail or perfect picnic spot you’ve been meaning to highlight.
Previous Posts: Has something struck a chord with your readers before? Is it something you could discuss again from a different angle, or in light of new information? Don’t be afraid to re-vist previous topics as they might just cover the information readers are looking for.
Your Favourites: When all else fails, check in with your favourite bloggers – is there something they’re writing about that you could comment on? Most will appreciate the reference, and perhaps return the favour next time.

Now that we’ve had a general discussion on some of the principles and pitfalls of blogging, let’s take a closer look at some specific ways to keep your blog in the “good” category and out of the other two.

Track what’s working, and change things accordingly. There’s no point signing up for a web analytics service if all you do is paste in the code and forget about it. Figure out what kinds of posts draw in the most visitors, and what keeps people on your website for more than a few seconds. Your website’s click-stream – the way people move around the website – should also be something you’re familiar with. Using all this information to constantly modify the content on your blog is the key to gaining traffic.

Look at the search terms people are using to find you. Some results will be slightly off-the-wall, but in amongst those will be some gems that tell you exactly what your readers were hoping for when they clicked through to your blog. The next question you have to ask yourself is, did you deliver? If not, what can you add that might satisfy those readers next time?

Colour is important. It is easy to lose a lot of time playing around with themes and colour settings, but at the same time, poor choices here can drive people away. This is where honest feedback from friends and colleagues can go a long way, as well as a survey of your favourite blogs to see what works for them.

Explain who you are up front. Ideally, the description under your blog’s title will tell people who you are and what they can expect to find. Information in your sidebar should expand on this with facts about your business, location, and an option for people to contact you. The more you say here, the more likely people will be to think of this blog as an extension of a real-world business.

Try not to leave people hanging in your comments section. If your readers have a question, answer it. Even if someone else has jumped in while you’ve been away from the computer, take the time to acknowledge the question and throw in your two cents. This helps to remind people that there really is someone on the other side of the posts.

Of course, these suggestions only scratch the surface of good blogging. There are plenty of other ways to improve your blog, and we’re looking forward to your own suggestions in the comments.

The benefits of agents running their own real estate blogs are many: they can position you as a local expert in your neighbourhood, enhance your credibility as a businessperson, and attract leads that might otherwise have overlooked you entirely.

At least, that’s the theory. In practice, an agent’s blog can have the opposite effect, driving away leads by presenting an image that’s far from professional. It’s an understandable by-product of the accessibility of blogging – everyone can do it, but not everyone can do it well.

So what are some of the pitfalls to avoid with your blog, and what are some attributes to aspire to? We don’t intend to name and shame, but after scouring the web for agent website examples, we have come up with a few hot tips:

The writing has to be up to scratch. You might be a wonderful communicator “in real life”, but the online environment is less forgiving, as typos and poor grammar sit around until you correct them. The trick is to write as if you were speaking to a friend, keeping your sentences as natural and conversational as possible.

Closely linked to the way you write is what you write about. And here’s where you ask that all-important question: who is my audience? Would potential customers really be interested in the latest industry news? Or would they be more attracted by content that discusses movements in the local community – new shops opening, business successes, perhaps even an interview with the local mayor or council member? Put yourself in your readers shoes and consider what you’d be searching for in your online home hunt.

Speaking of mayors, keep this in mind: politicising your content, while tempting, is a sure-fire way to alienate those readers who don’t see things your way. Of course, it makes sense to discuss local issues and the way government is addressing these, but by taking a hard-line stance you’re sure to upset someone, and that someone could potentially have been a new client.

The basics aren’t enough when it comes to blog design. Of course, not everyone can begin with a perfectly designed blog – at first a basic theme will probably have to do. But as time goes on, readers will expect improvements. A poll, more pictures, updated links, a few more pages – anything to make things more interesting for return visitors beyond the daily or weekly posts.

If you give up, take it offline, at least until you’re ready to re-start. If your blog is your only online presence, consider stripping it back to a basic contact and information page. Then, when you’re less run off your feet, bring back the posts. Nothing will bring doubt into the mind of a potential client more quickly than the top post being dated “September 4, 2008″.

Tune in next time for part two of our tips for real estate bloggers. In the meantime, of course, share your own tips and thoughts in our comments.

Click here for Blogs: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Part 2.

There’s no doubt social media has become a mainstay in our online lives. Whether it’s through a Facebook fan page, regular YouTube videos, daily blog posts or hourly tweets, chances are you’re aiming to connect with buyers and sellers online. And that takes time.

As social media use becomes less of a novelty and more part of the everyday, it’s likely those who use social media to boost their business will start asking the question: what return am I getting for all this time spent recording, writing, and updating?

If you’re questioning the amount of time you spend using social media, but can’t see yourself going cold turkey any time soon, here are some ideas for ensuring a sound return-on-investment:

Be clear about your goals. What do you want to achieve? Are you aiming to create social capital – to become a trusted member of an online community? Or do you simply need to generate as many leads as possible? Setting clear goals mean you’re much more likely to use social media to your advantage, rather than just sign in for the sake of it.

Beware mixing business with pleasure. Once you’ve decided what your goals are, make an effort to keep your online activity in line with those goals. Twitter accounts are notorious for mundane updates that are highly unlikely to generate leads or social capital, and a blog or a YouTube account can suffer exactly the same fate. If you love using social media as a personal platform, consider creating new accounts for your “at home” persona that hold separate, non-business content.

Monitor your activity to find what works. It’s definitely worth keeping a record of how many hours you spend blogging, tweeting, and scrolling through other people’s content. At the same time, write down what this achieved and look at how close you came to your goals. If you’re falling short, ask others what worked for them, and what simply wasted their time.

Cut out what doesn’t work. With so many online social networks to choose from, it can be easy to stretch yourself thin as you try to maintain a presence across multiple channels. Once you’ve evaluated what works, you can be confident in your decisions to tweet less often, read more blog posts, or only check Facebook a maximum of twice per day.

Bring it into the “real world”. As often as possible, get in touch with the contacts you’ve made through social media in a concrete way. The popularity of “tweet-ups” amongst Twitter users is a perfect example of how social media should spill over into the real world now and then. As always, it’s the people behind the keyboards that matter.

This study, based on a sample of 33 million unique users across Chitika’s publisher network, compared the number of visitors coming from traffic sources such as Facebook and Digg along with Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Twitter, with the number of times those visitors returned to the referred website. Chitika considered a visitor who came back four or more times over a week a “loyal” user.

The results revealed 20 percent of visitors referred to a website from Facebook fit the loyal category, with Digg referring 16 percent of loyal visitors. Search engines Yahoo!, Bing and Google were next, and Twitter referred the lowest number of loyal visitors with 11 percent. Chitika explains what this means for people looking for loyalty in their audience:

“While Google naturally wins in sheer numbers, if a website owner can drive a thousand people to their site via Google, or they can drive the same number via Facebook, Facebook seems to be the way to go for creating a loyal reader.”

Further emphasising the significance of social media as an influence on traffic, Nielsen recently released the results of its study on where Internet users go to find information. Unsurprisingly, search engines and portals dominated, but the report also found that locations such as Wikipedia, blogs and websites like Facebook and MySpace – all categorised as social media – accounted for 18 percent of the results.

The report also found 26 percent of “Socialisers” – those who spend 10 percent or more of their online time on social media – think there is too much information online. Why do these users turn to social media to find what they need? Nielsen has a simple explanation:

“The short answer: Socialisers trust what their friends have to say and social media acts as an information filtration tool. This is key because Socialisers gravitate towards and believe what is shared with friends and family. If your friend creates or links to the content, then you are more likely to believe it and like it.”

Website owners convinced by these results and keen to incorporate Facebook are in luck: techcrunch.com reports that Facebook has recently simplified the process, offering a three-step “wizard” to add the Facebook Connect button to a website.

The second widget is simpler, asking users to test their knowledge of home prices:


roost.com’s blog explains that these widgets can be customised to show an agent’s name and photo, include a tagline and display in a certain colour.

The roost.com search engine partners with local Multiple Listing Services, real estate brokers, builders and data providers, and directs consumers to a hosted network of real estate broker and agent internet data exchange websites.

Anyone sceptical about the power of blogging should take heed of a survey by website provider HubSpot, which claims that those who blog receive more visitors to their website.

Basically, blogging is good for your business.

The survey looked at 1,531 HubSpot customers who run mostly small- and medium-sized businesses. 795 of the businesses in this sample blogged, and 736 did not blog.

HubSpot says that companies that blog have far better marketing results. Proving this, they quote figures that show that the average company that blogs has:

• 55% more visitors – providing more potential leads and sales
• 97% more inbound links – increasing search engine rankings
• 434% more indexed pages – creating a better chance of being found on search engines

So if you’ve been thinking of blogging, it might be a good time to start.

Read propertyadguru.com’s Top 10 Tips for Writing a Blog.