Posts Tagged ‘Blog’
What is a Lurker?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on December 28th, 2011
Lurkers are people who read but don’t contribute or add comments to Social Networks, including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and community forums. Studies suggest about one percent of people contribute new content to Social Media, another nine percent comment, and the rest lurk.
What are some reasons lurkers don’t participate?
Often they don’t think they know enough about the topic under discussion and don’t want to look foolish. They may also feel like an outsider if many of the other members know each other from a familiar place or common interest.
They may also enjoy reading your content but not feel inspired to take part in the conversation because it doesn’t really speak to them.
How do you bring lurkers out of their shell?
You can offer low-risk ways for them to participate – they won’t feel they need expertise to comment when you present polls, run contests and ask people to share their own experiences.
By tracking links and content most frequently opened you can gauge what lurkers are interested in and what is of value to them. You can even try using different styles and tones to find out what resonates with group members and inspires them to take part in conversations. Include video and photos to appeal to them visually (as long as you’re still being authentic and true to your unique voice).
How have you gotten lurkers to engage with you online? We’d love for you to share your ideas with us by commenting below or doing more than lurking on our Facebook page 
5 Ways to Make Your Blog Stand Out
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on October 12th, 2011
According to Wikipedia, as of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence. How do you make yours stand out above the rest? Here are some tips:
Keep it simple. Gone are the days of designing a website that has every possible factoid about your company in a complicated brochure format. Make your design clean and simple so that people will know what you’re offering in the first three seconds.
Deliver consistent content. Starting a blog with award-winning posts won’t matter if you let it go stale. Pick a frequency to post and create a loose editorial calendar for your topics and then stick to it. There is no faster way to lose your audience than to become inactive.
Use visual aids. Photos break up the text in your blog posts, as well as offer a way to connect with your readers through emotions and sometimes even humor. Also remember that in today’s information overload society people scan articles rather than read them. You are at a disadvantage if you are relying solely on your content to keep people interested.
Be a resource. It’s tempting to talk about your latest news, services, and products, but if you deliver free, helpful information about everything related to your specialty, you will keep your readers coming back for more.
Don’t write a term paper. Businesses are often afraid to express their unique voice and opinions in blogs, fearing they will look less professional. The reality is that anyone can deliver information. It’s your expert spin on what’s going on in your market that people are truly interested in.
What about you? How do you make your blog stand out? Let us know by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page!
Why Your Blog Makes People Go Away
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 20th, 2011
There’s one web design mistake that is a death sentence for your blog… clutter!
Do you have tons of widgets, plugins, social media profiles, links, badges, ads, and more clogging up your sidebars? As if this weren’t enough of a confusing turn-off, do you have one of those rude pop-up windows that crawls across the screen while your readers are halfway through a compelling post? OY!
It’s the same thing we tell our clients that have just bought a billboard: LESS IS MORE.
What do you absolutely NEED visitors to do to grow your business? Do they need to see your whole Twitter feed running down the side of your blog in order to decide to call you or sign up for your services?
In most cases, you need visitors to subscribe to your email list, so that’s what you should focus on. Kick the rest of the baggage to the curb! Clutter-free sidebars will outperform their busy counterparts every time.
What should be in your sidebar?
You should have an opt-in form for you newsletter, links to popular articles, and a list of resource pages, which are sort of “advice” pages that highlight your best content around your expertise. Within these pages, they should link to several of your best articles on the topic you’re addressing to help people get the exact information they are looking for.
Why a resource page? Your articles are your most popular pages. When people are done reading them, they often look for what they can do next. People who visit these pages are now warmer leads and are more likely to sign up for updates from you: a.k.a. a captured lead.
What about you? Does your blog offer way too many distractions? Do people leave before exploring your class-A content? Do you convert readers to list subscribers or do they abandon ship?
Try cleaning house and let us know how it works!
Are You Getting Traffic from Social Media?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on September 6th, 2011
You may have steadily increasing followers and ‘likers’ each week. Are they buying from you or just lurking? Content is king, but content alone won’t turn your fans into leads.
Where are the opportunities to convert them?
RSS vs. Email Subscriptions
RSS has become one of the most popular and convenient ways for readers to subscribe to your blog. You may score brownie points with your audience for allowing them to peruse on their own time, but with an RSS only subscription your only point of contact with the subscriber is when you post a new article.
Using email as your primary blog subscription vehicle allows you to capture leads while keep your subscribers up to date. Once the user has opted-in to receive updates you can now cultivate and nurture that contact into a qualified lead.
Calls to Action on your Blog Posts
Many companies lack a call to action on their entire blog or website. What about your blog posts? Are you preaching to your audience in a one-sided conversation or encouraging comments? Do you offer a next step that is relevant to your blog topic?
Make sure it is a light call to action so you don’t turn off first-time visitors with a sales pitch, yet make it easy for them find out more.
Smart Landing Pages
Once someone has clicked through your call to action, do they go to a wishy-washy landing page? Does it go on forever using fluffy marketing terms or get to the crux of your readers’ problems?
Keep it simple and short: offer a few key questions that make your reader identify and relate to you and confirm that you have the right solution for them.
How do you convert your leads? Is your blog optimized to capture them?
Why Do You Need Testimonials?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on August 30th, 2011
Word of mouth is the oldest and most tried-and-true form of advertising. Why? Because it works! A potential client hears positive reviews about your services from someone they trust and they will even cast aside inconveniences to hire you. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth advertising reaches a very limited set of people. How do you broaden your reach and get your message out there?
Enter the testimonial.
Think about your purchasing habits – do you still blindly buy products and services or do you read reviews, ask your Facebook and Twitter network, or put a post in a forum or LinkedIn group asking if anyone has ever used them before?
Testimonials work because they nurture trust. Potential clients know that you’re only going to say positive things about your products and services. They want to be convinced by hearing from someone who has actually tried them. Prospective clients and customers have no reason to trust you, but they do trust their peers. This is called “social proof”.
Make sure your testimonial is believable! A testimonial that sounds fake will destroy trust rather than build it.
Testimonials must be real and valid. This is non-negotiable if you want to be authentic in your business. If you can, include the full name, location and a photo of the person giving the testimonial. Include their business or organization if it is relevant.
Also be sure your testimonial specifically answers any objections, doubts and fears your potential client may have before they have a chance to voice them.
How do you get testimonials?
Keep your ears and eyes open: write down any fleeting comments from a happy client as soon as possible after hearing them. Grab quotes from emails your clients send you, and make sure you ask permission to publish it from the sender.
Ask clients for feedback; it sounds like you want honest comments rather than sugary, fluffy praise.
What do you do with them?
Testimonials can be placed on your website, on your quotes and invoices, in print ads, sales letters, direct mail, or on your Blog. You can even highlight a “success” story of one of your satisfied clients and make them the star of your post!
How do you personally use testimonials in your purchasing decisions? Where do they fall in your decision-making process?
The Benefits of Keeping Your Blog Up to Date
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on July 28th, 2011
How often do you update your blog? Whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly (not recommended!), it should be consistent. Your readers come to expect new information regularly from you, and it is far worse to have sporadic entries posted than to have no blog at all.
Why? How do regularly scheduled updates help your business?
SEO
The search engine bots love new content from blogs, but only if you are updating it regularly. Providing constant updates to your website is the quickest and easiest way to get noticed by Google. That is of course if your regular posts contain strategic keywords and appropriate links.
Audience
If you are updating your blog regularly with quality, helpful content, people will return to your blog for more. Some may even subscribe! Once they do, guess what – they expect you to publish more quality, helpful content. The worst thing you can do is start and then “fall off the map”. Decide on a schedule and stick to it.
Expertise
When you are consistently providing regular posts to your audience, you start to get noticed by not only your fans, but also other professionals in your field. In today’s market, people are playing in the sandbox together more and more, via joint ventures and guest blogging for each other’s communities. This can only increase your exposure and help to brand you as an expert.
If updating your blog regularly is too time-consuming for your business, contact us and we’ll help you get on track!
How Real Estate Agents Are Using Social Media
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Real Estate Trends, Social Media on July 13th, 2011
More and more agents are turning to Social Media to help sell homes.
In fact, more than half of the National Association of Realtors‘ member agents reported using social networking sites last year, compared with a little more than a third in 2009. Nearly two-thirds have a website and 1 in 10 has a Blog.
Even though online listings have been around for quite some time, many agents still prefer the in-person approach, as business has traditionally been done using agent-to-agent referrals. They are now starting to go where their clients already are: on Social Media.
Last year, 89% of buyers surfed the Web to find a house, while only 45% attended open houses and 36% looked at print ads, according to the National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.
In order to make his online efforts pay off, agents must write about things that draw readers and not just regurgitate listings. Blog posts should focus on the town agents are selling in – interesting things that people will talk about and share.
When prospective buyers or sellers are looking for an agent, your blog makes it clear that you know the market, making you trustworthy and credible. It’s content, not self-promotion that attracts clients. Agents should not be afraid to have a personal take on area information.
In addition to Blogging, agents should not neglect Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Craigslist. Google AdWords campaigns are great for targeting buyers in the area, and MLS listings can be complemented using Realtor.com, Trulia, and Zillow.
Also new to the Real Estate market are the use of quick-response codes on for-sale signs so people can pull up to a house, aim a smartphone at the sign and download details right away.
Agents, are you using Social Media to its fullest to expand your business? Which mediums or channels work best for you? We’d love to hear about your struggles and successes, so feel free to comment below or post on our Facebook page to share your stories!
I would like to share 6 points with you on why I think social media is a smart move for real estate. It is not because it’s the new hot thing, but because it truly provides a great opportunity to reach potential real estate buyers and renters. I like social media because it teaches us to market the right way, with the consumer in mind every step of the way.
1. It Encourages Your Audience To Participate
Social platforms can give potential buyers a chance to participate and add to advertising messages. This strengthens the message. Let’s say you wanted to advertise the lifestyle aspect of your residential community. A good way to really inform potential buyers of the lifestyle is to let them see it. If you can get current residents to participate, their words will far outweigh yours. By involving current residents in the discussion of say a Pumpkin Festival, you are getting first hand accounts of the community lifestyle.
2. It’s A Two-Way Communication Channel
Social media opens up a two-way communication channel. Print ads merely send a one-way message. Social media messages should encourage a response. Hasn’t this always been the goal? We have always wanted our ads to provoke a response whether is be a phone call or an e-mail. Social media takes it this idea to the next level. Our messages become communication channels in themselves.
3. It Helps Define Who You Are
Social media forces you take a good look at yourself. Writing a blog is a good way 
to figure out exactly who you are or what your project has to offer. I think this helps in defining your target audience.
4. It Adds A Personal Touch To Your Message
Social media adds a personal touch to your advertising. I find this especially relevant in real estate. Purchasing or renting a home is one of the most important decisions a person can make as a consumer. The social channels can give you a chance to address personal concerns. Consumers want to do business with personable people.
5. It Provides You With Options
Social media allows you to incorporate different media platforms into one message. A blog for example can have a video, audio clip, photo slide show and power point all in one post. Including all of these in one blog might be a little too much, but if it was necessary, you could do it.
6. It Allows You To Adapt Your Message
Maybe the most important aspect of social media is that it allows you to adapt your message. If you have a floor plan or a unit that prospects seem to like, you can mold your content around those units. In order to do this, you must listen to what others are saying. Listening can expose both the good and the bad, but both should be embraced. Listening helps you take advantage of the positives and address the negatives quickly. It allows you to adapt your message.
Remember To Focus On Your Message
Everyone wants to understand social media, and implement it as fast as possible. We tend to focus more on the tools such as Facebook and blogs before we truly understand the messages we are trying to send. We need to first understand the strategy behind social media advertising before we start focusing on the tools.
As new social media tools are unveiled everyday, it is important not to feel overwhelmed. As long as you remember the strategy behind the tools, nothing will change. This is only a quick look at some of the benefits of using social media in real estate. If you have any questions about social media and how it relates to real estate, please shoot me an e-mail. I would love to help.
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Are You Getting Tumbleweeds on Your Blog Posts?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on January 31st, 2012
Even though you may contact all of the top players in your industry pointing them to the post, no links come back to you. No replies from those you emailed. You receive hardly any clicks on your post.
Your posts are skillfully crafted and offer a great angle. So why isn’t anyone reading them?
Is content really king like everyone says? We are led to believe that if we produce a truly great piece of content, we’ll get all the links we could ever hope for.
That used to be the case! The Web used to be a fairly uncluttered place compared to what it is now, and it was easier for people to notice great blog posts.
And now?
Now great is no longer good enough. There really is so much remarkable content that bloggers don’t have enough time to read it all, much less link to it.
If you want links now, you need to be more than great. You need to be connected.
It’s not what you know… it’s…
…who you know. Sort of. Bloggers link more often to their friends than anyone else. If you write a reasonably good piece of content that interests their audience, they’ll link to you, mainly because they like you.
The secret to building a popular blog isn’t just writing great content. It’s also having well-connected friends.
How do you get connected? Here are a few ideas to get started:
The biggest key is finding ways that you can be genuinely useful to others in your industry; make yourself relevant and then use that opportunity to start building a relationship.
Tags: Blog, blogging, comments, connections, content, experts, LinkedIn, niche marketing
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