In the November issue of Elle Magazine Louisa Kemps explores the pros and cons of Online Self Promotion. Since the explosion of social network sites, the increased dependency on smart phones and of course the little situation known as the current recession, the world has had to shift from face-to-face contact to a whole new realm of interactive business.

While self-promotion is nothing new for real estate professionals, self-promotion online is something that, for some, can be a bit overwhelming. To start, where do you cross the line from promoting yourself, to sharing a bit too much about your personal life? How do you find the time to toggle between Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, your personal website, blog and actually doing some business? And most importantly is all this work even worth it?

Let’s face it real estate has been around even before Bill Gates started playing around in his garage, so why bother? Louisa Kemps explored these very same questions and found very insightful answers from some social media pros. If you are also wondering where you fit in all this madness check out her article, Tweet Dreams: Self- Promotion Online. Kemp also mentions some great reads for those wanting to learn how to better promote themselves/business.

Here are some books Kemps mentions in the article:

1.) Me 2.0, by Dan Schawbel

2.) Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand, by Peter Arnell

3.) The Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish Learned Sooner, by Peggy Klaus

Louisa decided that for now social media self-promotion was not for her and her writing business, but as a real estate agent you might want to give it a second thought.

Generating referrals is easily one of the key indicators of a successful business. However, it takes more than just asking your clients for referrals to generate good business, it takes a strategic marketing plan. As professionals that we all are I don’t have to state the obvious regarding maintaining high standards of business practice, but there are a few little things that make the difference between an outstanding and productive agent and a struggling one. Below are just a few on how to get more referrals, for free.

1. Find what makes you stand out and make that a focus in your marketing strategy.  By emphasizing the unique qualities of your real estate business, clients are more likely to remember you. Which ever way you choose to relay the message (email,brochure, or on your website) make sure you are letting your clients know what makes you stand out.
2. Be available to your clients. Clients won’t pass along your contact information if they can’t get a hold of you. Make it a priority to answer your voicemails, emails, text messages, messages in a bottle, etc. Aside from missing good business by not being a reliable agent, you are also killing any chance of getting future referrals.
3. Expand your business to people not in your client circle. Try to add services to your business, venture outside your area for listings.
4. Attend industry networking events, sometimes your colleagues can provide the best referrals. And make sure your contact information is easy to find.
5. Be an expert in your field. Make sure to stay on top of industry trends and trainings. Know your clientele and get to know your potential clients. Soon your knowledge and approachability will make you the obvious candidate for referrals.
6. Show your referrers you care. Some high-end retailers offer extra perks for those clients to send over referrals, and it has worked. Why? It is because people like to be acknowledged for something nice that they do.  Now you don’t necessarily have to establish a pricey rewards system to entice clients, a simple thank you will do the trick.  Make sure to personally thank anyone who passes a referral along to you, whether it was a successful one or not. Your gratitude is a great way to keep your referrers sending you business. Just remember that a hand written note goes a long way.

These were just a few suggestions. What are your favorite techniques for generating new business?

If you don’t have content you don’t have anything. It isn’t enough to simply create an account on any of the multiple social media sites; to stand out from the crowd you must have something of interest to your audience.

Success in social media goes beyond effectively including SEO words or even having a large network. If your content isn’t interesting then it is most likely your page won’t be read and then there goes your efforts to increase your business through social media.

Take the time to consider these sites as a platform to establish yourself as an authority in your area. So what should you add?

Listings – This one is easy. After all, getting the word out on your product is the prime motivator in tuning into social media. Just make sure that listings aren’t the only things you include. Think about it: you wouldn’t spend much time on a site that lacks variety, and neither do your readers. Who wants to read a list of listings anyway? That is why they have you as an agent.

Neighborhood News – Is there a home on the block that has been featured in a prominent publication? Did a neighborhood decide to go green? Or is the neighborhood the kind of place that embraces annual block parties? Share that with your readers.

Favorite Haunts - As an agent you spend plenty of time in your real estate territory. Most likely you’ve become familiar with the restaurants, boutiques, and special mom and pop shops around the area. Feel free to share those kinds of nuggets of information you’re your readers. Readers appreciate that kind of insight.

Staying on top of what is going on in the industry and presenting it in an interesting manner will help strength your social media sites. Get creative and personal, but be careful how personal, after all this is still business.

 

Foursquare is the latest venture in social media and could possibly become another tool for your real estate business. Although it could be a year or two before this explodes into another virtual phenomenon such as Facebook or Twitter, Foursquare is already claiming a quarter of a million users according to The Wall Street Journal.

You may be asking what is Foursquare? In a nutshell it is an app that allows you to leave a virtual trail of where you have been. You can leave tips from venues you have visited and check out other tips from friends. The more you frequent a place the more “badges” you get (a fun game to get you exploring your city) and the more rewards you get out of it (i.e. discounts at your favorite coffee shop).  Foursquare tracks where you are from your phone’s GPS and works on iPhones, Android, PalmPre and recently Blackberry (although the glitches are still being worked out on this phone).  You can also sync it up to your Facebook and twitter to broadcast your whereabouts to your friends.

As agents we are always looking for ways to expand the business, and it could be helpful to see how Foursquare can help us grow, after all Foursquare is all about location and so is real estate.

Add Listings As Venues-When a location is not available on Foursquare users have the option of adding it to the list. When an agent showing their listing adds it to Foursquare this app becomes a marketing tool. Listings can then be tracked to see how many times people frequent it, agents can check-in and check-out of the listing every time they visit it and even add a few tips about the neighborhood; pretty soon all that checking-in and help tips will expand to Facebook, Twitter and more visits.

Rave About Neighborhoods- Consider a target neighborhood. Theoretically you could single handedly change a neighborhood by using Foursquare. Do you know a boutique where the owner loves to style his/her clients with fabulous clothes? How about a restaurant that serves up a to-die-for panini that is off the menu? You can add these tips to the venues you visit on Foursquare so that those friends in your network can check it out too, and vice versa.

Play A Game- Foursquare gives badges depending on the number of times you visit a venue. Let clients compete for the coveted “Mayor” title (all right so there really is no meaning for the badges, but I’ve found that for the most part people love a good competition). Friends have fun playing your game and you get more publicity on your listing.

In today’s world social media is making real estate marketing easier by allowing you to localize your marketing. Foursquare can take your strategy a little further. Go ahead let people know where you are and where you have been, become a virtual explorer for the benefit of your business.

In this virtual world of tweets it can sometimes be difficult to wrap our minds around socializing without ever having to actually see a person face-to-face. If you are using Twitter as a tool to further strengthen your business it might be time to rethink how you follow fellow tweeters. Following the wrong people could be hurting your business, and wasting your time.

Allow me to elaborate. If you were trying to use Twitter as a tool to generate more leads, why would you follow those who are in your industry? Here is a radical idea, why not follow those individuals who share your same interests, or live in your area? Here is a simple step-by-step solution to making better use of the tweets, and preventing you from making twitter your next full time job.

1. Relax and be more social- Simply because you are using this tool to add to your business does not mean you have to be the annoying advertisement plugging in your business every opportunity you can. This will not get your more friends. Share your interests, tweet about things you care about, and yes that can include the top reasons why you love chili fries so much. Better yet, forget you are tweeting about your business and have fun socializing.
2. Embark on a search for your tweeting soul mates, or those that are interesting to you. This search does not have to become a full time job. Nowadays, there are plenty of sites that make finding your tweeting soul mates as easy as well, tweeting your thoughts.  Check out LocalTweeps for those in your area, and ChirpCity for the latest happenings in your town. (Tip: try finding the local hashtag for your area. It will make it easier to find your neighbors.)
3. Avoid looking like the creepy sales person, by trying a tried and true introduction. Simply say hello. Think about tweeting as your virtual forum of the classic networking party. You wouldn’t walk up to someone and introduce yourself by asking them if they want to buy a house, so don’t do it online. Try to establish a relationship with those who you find interesting. Let the business come later, and believe me it will.

For more detailed information you can check out these two articles on tweeting: Who Should Real Estate Agents Follow On Twitter, and Six Twitter Tools to Network Locally.

Sure we use it to look up almost anything on the web today, and it has even made its way into everyday lingo. What exactly am I talking about? Google of course! This Internet phenomenon has become a part of our daily lives, and if you really think about it most of our lives would quickly turn into chaos if Google were to suddenly disappear.  Yet there are other reasons to love Google and it pertains to your real estate business. Here are a few reasons why Google is not just a search engine.

Google Analytics – This great tool allows you to analyze the traffic on your website. The way the program works is it tells you were the website visits come from and what they are looking at when they visit your site. This is great for customizing your marketing towards what your readers want.

Google Trends- With Google Trends you are able to see a daily list of the hottest trends. You are also able to search avarious websites and see what scope of your market is interested in.

Google Sitemaps- This is in the event that you want your information on the web quickly. The way this program works is it will quickly post your new pages on the Google index quickly.

Google Docs- This is a great tool to have if you are constantly on the go. A Google doc allows you to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations while giving the convenience of sharing and collaborating them in real time. You can also access them from any place since these documents will be web based.

Google Alerts-Here is how it works. You set up a query list of relevant topics that you’d like updates on. Any time something is mentioned with those particular guidelines you get an email notification regarding those topics. This is great for keeping up with competitors, your products and even to do market research.

Google Buzz- Yet another social media tool, Google Buzz works directly from your Gmail account. It is intended to start conversations about your interests. Best of all you don’t have to go out and scout new “friends” since it works through your email. You can also link it up to your twitter and access it via your smart phone (i.e. Iphone and Android).

Google Translate- As a realtor you know that business can come from anywhere and you should not limit your potential gain because of a small language problem. Google Translate allows you to set up your website or blog in 51 different languages. The only thing you need to do is install the program it will automatically show a translation toolbar if the visitor happens to speak a different language than you.

With the variety of services that Google has to offer it is difficult to showcase them all here. Among some others that may prove useful are Google Earth, Google Adwords, Google place and maps, just to name a few. If you find yourself working out of a complete virtual office more and more everyday these handy tools are sure to make your business more efficient and enjoyable.

Facebook pages are becoming more and more popular as businesses start infiltrating Facebook. Like every other social media outlet there are a few things to make sure you have and a few that it would be best to avoid. Here are a few tips on making sure your fan page is working for you and not against you.

What Not to Do

1. Have Nothing to Offer: Fan pages were created for celebrities, businesses and important causes. Before starting a page consider why people would want to become fans of your page. Make sure the page offers something of value to the community.
2. Try to Have All the Control: Facebook is a platform to engage in a conversation. Don’t delete negative comments or try to control the flow of conversation your page. You can certainly guide your fans, but don’t rain on the conversation parade.
3. Applications:  These can be great when integrated on your page. Now the bad part is when you add them without knowing how to work them, or add them simply for the sake of adding them. Avoid making your page a mess with all those apps. The rule of thumb is don’t add then unless you are prepared to keep up with them.
4. Automate Your Page: This isn’t like a blog or twitter account where you can automate your responses and interactions. People become a fan to be able to engage with you. Be present for your fans and they will make your page successful.
5. Formulated Responses: Ever consider how impersonal a scripted conversation is? Now very fun, huh? That is exactly why making your responses a little more personal will go a very long way in ensuring the success of your page. Just because you don’t see the fan face-to-face doesn’t mean you can get away with not establishing a good relationship. Treat the page as if you were having intimate conversations with your fans.

What Does Work

1. Show Your Human Side: Sure everything is online now, sure life is limiting human interactions less and less (i.e. iPods, electronic banking and texting instead of calling), but that does not mean you should forget your human side. Be present for your fans and be real. Check your page often and respond to message and comments in a timely manner that is priceless. And remember to represent the brand well and mind your manners.
2. Tech Support: This applies to those who choose to have applications on their page. If something goes wrong, make sure you know how to fix it. Nothing is more frustrating than nonfunctioning apps. That could lead to many fans abandoning your page. No tech support, equals no page love.
3. Guiding the Show: You can offer suggestions; give resources, and even redirect. Just don’t treat your page like a strict professor. This is a place to have fun and allow interactions to flow naturally and freely.

The Basics of Your Page

1. Fun: Have fun with your page. Social media that it doesn’t have to be boring, that is what is so great about it. Try having contests, giveaways and even polls.
2. Visual Media: Who wants to visit a page swamped with text? No one. So feel free to add photos and videos. Show up on the images, perhaps even on the videos to add a touch of personalization.
3. Engage: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. People love to give their opinions so give them something to comment about. And don’t forget to thank the fans.
4. Have a Consistent Message: Make sure to plan out your posts. It should be more than once a day and have a variety of information to be successful.
5. Landing Page: This is important because it is the first thing fans visit when they find your page. You can customize it to fit your needs but make sure it is something that will engage visitors.

Via: InMan, WebWorkerDaily

Keeping up with all your social media outlets gets easier with NutshellMail. This is a must have service for anyone who has become a professional technology juggler. How it works is NutshellMail allows you to consolidate all your social media accounts into one mail message.  A summary of all your social media alerts will be sent directly to your main email account, where you can then interactively manage it all without having to deal with checking all your other accounts.

NutshellMail supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace, Gmail and many more. It is a great tool to keep connected and build on all your media sites.  The best part is that you can schedule it to be sent on your own schedule. So let’s say you prefer to do all your blogging, chatting and facebooking in the morning, then you can set it up so that all those messages don’t bombard you during the day, and a nice neat message alerts you in the morning. Better yet, you can receive summaries of email messages from your lesser-used accounts.

Among the other features is the ability to tweet, reply, retweet and DM from your email inbox.  In a nutshell you have an electronic organizer for your social media outlets. Now you can move to more important things like getting that home off the market.

It is easy to figure out when you are over sharing in a face-to-face conversation.  It is even easier to figure it out when you are dealing with a business marketing situation. But what happens when the business mixes with the social and the line between the personal and business blurs? How much is too much? Here are some tips on what information you might want to hold back, and what information you shouldn’t hold back.

Hold Back:

It’s pretty obvious what not to share like your personal information, health history or details on your relationship. But what about other things that seem harmless like stuff about your family? Those details depend on your personal level of comfort, but then again consider your audience and that in the end this is for business. While we are at it let’s steer clear of volatile subjects such as politics and religion. There is a time and a place for that. And I absolutely know that you would never under any circumstances make your home address public information, for your whole networking sites to see. Avoid posting photos or comments about how wild your weekends are or salacious gossip. Facebook users don’t post updates on what your Mafia Wars or Farmville pets are up to.

Feel Free to Share:

So what information can we include without sounding like a boring business presentation? Plenty! How about some information about what you do? What do you specialize in? How long have you been doing it? Talk about some of the organizations you are a part of. It is okay to have a little fun, share some thoughts on that fabulous restaurant you found hidden away in your favorite neighborhood, or stories about your recent trips. If you find it interesting, they will find it interesting because your passion will shine through your words.

Now some of us maybe a little more open than others. For those of you that are consider this before posting. I suggest getting some feedback from a trusted confidant. Sometimes saying it out loud helps. And for the rest of us just follow this rule of thumb, would you share that information with someone you just met? If not, then don’t post it. Or simply follow your gut; if you aren’t comfortable saying it, then you probably shouldn’t post it on your social media sites.

Via: InMan News

I may be a little late with earth day celebration, but I heard somewhere that “everyday is earth day!” In observance I figured I’d share some stats on how the wealthy are doing their part in saving the earth.

According to the American Affluence Research Center, this is how the most affluent 10% of households in the country contribute to saving the earth.

• 90% recycle regularly
• 56% believe they are doing their part to help the environment
• About 3 in 10 feel they should be doing more to help the environment
• 70% report using energy efficient light bulbs and/or other products to reduce energy consumption
• 30% purchase organic foods whenever they are an option.
• Only 6% buy fashions that use organic materials
• A third of the respondents currently own none of the 7 eco-friendly products listed
• Most commonly owned “green” items are compact fluorescent light bulbs (45%), low flow toilets or faucets (44%), and EnergyStar appliances (40%). Green cleaning products (27%) was the only other item owned by more than 10% of the respondents
• Half of the respondents do not expect to buy any of the 7 listed “green” products during the next five years. The most frequently anticipated purchases are a hybrid automobile (24%) and EnergyStar appliances (22%)
• Two-thirds have done none of the 3 listed eco-friendly activities during the past 5 years. The most frequently mentioned (31%) activity was the purchase of hormone-free meat, dairy, or produce.
• Almost 8 of 10 respondents do not anticipate doing any of the 3 listed activities during the next 5 years. The most frequently anticipated activity (15%) is an eco-friendly vacation or resort.

According to Forbes, the real estate industry is also doing their part to reduce our carbon footprint. From geothermal cooling, to LED technology, recycled rainwater and even solar panels we are making great strides in changing the way we live. The best part about it is that in many cases we no longer need to sacrifice luxury and comfort to save the earth. Now that is what I call progress. What kind of green initiatives are going on in your area?

Via:  Luxury Insights and Forbes