Real Estate Marketing SEO Blog

Traffic Battle Plan 2012

Check out my Traffic Domination Plan for 2012 I announced the war with Google and Facebook over a year ago. Did SEO Just Die Since then many have said that yes SEO is dead. As Google has changed time and time again. Over the next few weeks I will be chronicling some of these deep changes that are effecting your website and your social graph right now. » Its a Social World In a nutshell Google blinked. And much of that has do with the velocity of content being created in the social media. Facebook, Twitter and more. And now the new kid on the block Pinterest is digging into the Facebook Traffic. » Its about the data. Google's and Facebook's business is not search and Social. It is datamining. While Google has been changing many have complained that Google is no longer relevant. That is the point of search relevancy isn't it?   Google's job is guessing at your and my behavior such that they can serve us relevant advertising.   Google grabs that data through all the data it gets from your cookied searches, visits to websites with adsense, analytics etc, your signed-in behavior, and your Google Plus behavior and your Android phone locations and behavior.   Facebook gets to know you through their graph of likes, follows, friends, clicks, etc and of course your profile you create when you sign up. In effect Facebook wants to be Google, Google wants to be Facebook. » The world just got smaller. Do a search in New York and chances are real good that Google will serve you local results having to do with services in New York. Google Places dominates the local searches with at least 4 results. Often times number 1 of yesterday, is now possibly 8.   Littered within that search will often be images and videos. We ran a post years ago that some day Google will be the new Yellow Pages. That day has come. » Disinformation. Google has succeeded largely from incredible public relations to compliment their just good enough search engine. With their online personalities, they have been able to spread vast and complicated concepts to misinform what is/was actually going on.   The more things change the more they stay the same. Google has always been about links, then the title tag and matching h tags. This concept has not changed. Its just that there is less of the same coveted prize called organic search results for you to grab.   Less competitive terms are easy as they have always been and the super competitive keywords will continue to be difficult to get.   Links have expanded in their definition. Links are 80% of the game. But now you have likes, Google pluses, and other social markers that Google desperately is trying to track. I call these social noise makers.   One reason Google has moved forward with Google Plus as an answer to Facebook, and recently adding SearchPlus Your World is that they were being blocked out of tracking social graphsof the biggies Twitter and Facebook.   Additionally local citations, or your business name, address, city, zip and phone weigh heavily for your Google Places (local) ranking. They serve the equivalence of links in local search. » To make things more crazy. Your website will need to adjust for mobile phonessome day soon as more and more searchers are using mobile phones to search the web. Soon to out number desktop searchers.   The long term answer is to get strategic and hire a firm like Spider Juice Technologies who can help you get your arms around the changes, while not getting swallowed up by all the marketing hype.   Step 1 is to embrace the fact that you must become a publisher of your own unique content, ghost written content, curated content, and collaborated content if you are to survive in this ever changing online environment.   Because the fact is. Google simply doesn't need you anymore. The only medicine is to get big on publishing. More on all of these changes and tactics soon.   We are here to help you.   Tim O'Keefe http://www.spiderjuicetechnologies.com/ 310 533 9145

How to Get Listed in Google, Bing, Yahoo Locally

Google is and always has been important for traffic.

However, local search has risen to 30%-40% of the marketplace.

Find out how to get local listings in Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Mind you that a listing is not a first page listing.

Contact us on how to get that.

Download Creating Local Business Listings on the Three Major Search Engines

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The Groupon of Real Estate

I recently met Dave from HouseTipper.com when one of his clients ran an insertion into RealEstatePressRelease.com

We hooked up for a textual interview to find out a little more about this company and the unique Group buying experience they provide in the real estate space. When I investigated them, I saw offers by agents like the one currently running on the top of their home page: "$2,500 cash back at closing when buying or selling a home with Regina Wagner".

What is HouseTipper?
HouseTipper is the first and only group buying platform created specifically for the Real Estate Industry. We offer consumers huge savings on Real Estate and Home & Garden deals. We've created HouseTipper as a central platform for the industry to showcase these deals and use them to help generate qualified leads. Deals are everywhere in Real Estate but sometimes they are hard to find and sometimes you don't get them unless you know what you are doing. Our goal is to change that.

How Does Your System Work?
Our platform works much like other group buying sites. We feature a great deal, we set a tipping point and if enough people buy the voucher then the deal is on. What's different about us is our types of deals.

We offer real estate agent deals, home builder deals, mortgage deals, leasing deals, time-share deals, home & garden deals, and real estate investment deals.  

What gave you the idea to start this company?
We liked the group buying model as a lead generation tool and thought it would be great to use to feature something else other than cheeseburger, botox, and Brazilian blow out deals. My partner and I both have worked in sales. We hated cold calling and didn't like buying expensive ads. The group buying model works and our deal-makers like it because there are no upfront costs.

Why wont a Realtor just go and use Groupon or Living Social instead of
HouseTIpper?
Good question. They could but Groupon and Living Social's focus is on high volume impulse buying deals, so I' not sure how much they want to be in this particular area. HouseTipper was created for the Real Estate Industry and we think it's deserving of its' own platform. Plus most Real Estate professionals don't want to be viewed as just another group buying commodity.

 How do you get buyers and sellers for your advertisers/Realtors?
We are getting some great deals on the site but the key is distribution. We are working on building up our subscriber lists in each city. In some cases we are working with advertising firms on behalf of their clients. They like the fact that we are flexible and they can integrate a HouseTipper deal page into their existing marketing campaign. We also work with online marketing consultants who are looking for new lead generation tools for their clients. Last but not least, we are also forming strategic partnerships with other Real Estate websites to give our deals even more visibility.

How did you get here? What did you do in your previous life? My partner is a 10 year Real Estate agent. I have a sales and marketing background. I called him up one day to discuss the idea. We then put our heads together and thought of all types of unique ways that group buying could work for the Real Estate Industry. So there you have it. The Groupon of real estate.

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Positive Real Estate News On the Horizon

The Cotton and Company sent 65,732 registrants on resort and real estate websites a survey on their home buying intent.

Total responses to date: 807 Survey sent: February 25, 2011 Click the PDF graphic to get the report.

Or visit www.TheCottonSolution.com

Background: The Cotton and Company are industry leaders the sales and marketing of residential real estate throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Managed more than 1600 properties over the past 28 years. Provides integrated market research, analytics, marketing, web development, public relations, sales management, and customer database management services.

Some of the more salient findings:

The vacation home market has experienced a rebound in 2011, moving from 4% to 36% interest year-over-year. This is the
highest level of interest throughout the 3-year period.
• In 2010, 95% of the respondents who were no longer in the market for real estate cited economic instability as the reason for not
purchasing. In 2011, 46% of the respondents cited no desire to move, indicating a 41% drop in the response aligned with
economic conditions.
• Buyers who must sell their home prior to purchase dropped 10% year-over-year, reflecting 32% in 2011.
• Buyers who plan to purchase within 6 months saw a 21% increase from 2010. In 2011, 25% of the buyers indicate a timeline to
buy within 6 months, however, a 13% increase in the “over 2 years” category was also noted.
• Respondents remained virtually unchanged in their answer to “Have we reached the bottom of the market?” signifying continued
concern over pricing stability.
• The level of anticipated price reduction continues to show improvement in 2011, a result of significant price adjustments in the
market. In 2009, the median anticipated discount was 50%. In 2010, 30%. In 2011, this level has reduced to just 20%.
• Buyer transition indicates a continued trend toward downsizing and geographic relocation. This trend is also reflected in the
increased interest in smaller villa product type.
• 1,700 to 2,300 square feet remains the most popular residence size. However, growth occurred in the smaller home segment
with 31% of the market seeking a home between 1,000 and 1,600 square feet of space.

Mr. Cotton offers up his advice to Realtors and Mortgage pros on how to get their marketing ready to handle the realities of todays real estate market.

How to Create Buzz in a Crowded World

I always find it humorous when webmasters speak endearingly about Google or even Facebook as if to kiss up to them. Like that public show of affection will get them brownie points.

It at one time even seeped out to the net that if you link to Google it will help you.

How does such disinformation get propagated across the web?

Information is flying at record speed. As a species it seems we are actually getting less done and less accomplished. Often taking in our information in Twitter or Facebook sized headlines.

Now as a smart marketer you can use this "need to focus" as an advantage by you yourself focusing your marketing. And how do you focus? Have a strategy.

The Godfather of Blogging and Social Media

Not sure if anyone has called Paul Chaney that but I am now ;-)  On Facebook today Paul Chaney author of Realty Blogging: Build Your Brand and Out-Smart Your Competition (of which yours truly is quoted) and The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media asked :

This is my full text from the answer to his question:

Time=money. The net has always been a trash bin for ill conceived efforts. But social media will go down as one of the greatest wastes of time and of course money for many businesses. Simply because of its many trappings of the latest greatest.

By its nature it demands interactivity. Of which businesses cannot find much scale in manual work.Unless they go in with a strategy. In other words how does this all fit together?

First clue they are on the fast track to doom? Labels like social media strategist. There is no social media. There is the web. And the web has platforms by which people can communicate.

Its the same as when blogging was the flavor of the day.(what happened to that by the way?). People labeled themselves bloggers etc. If you go in not knowing how the website, the blog, the external publishing all fits. Might as well burn that marketing money.

News or a Publicity Stunt? Charlie Sheen & Google Exposed

Image by HOY! SUSHI via Flickr

I find content often boring and frankly misleading. Often dis-informing. The fun is discovering the process. Jumping into a marketers  campaign can be fun and often more useful that the "how to" product they are selling.

In our world today what is, is not so real as what the underlying process is. To quote and ex-President, "It all depends on what the meaning of is, is".

We all follow content. All of the below news topics are meant to focus attention somewhere. I want to know the answer to where? and why?:

• Google vows to clean up spam from their SERPS and thus penalizes J.C Penny, and Overstock. 
• Facebook has 500,000 users.
• Charlie Sheen is Bi Polar.
• Lady Gaga Arrives in an Egg to the Grammys.
• Kim Kardashian dates another athlete. Reggie is pissed!

In the political arena, often what is going on behind the scenes reveal the agenda.

• The President will not defend the Marriage Act.
• In the 1990's President Clinton was being investigated about the Monica Lewinski scandal. In the middle of the investigation he gave a speech very similar to the one GW Bush gave a few years later on the dangers of Iraq. He then bombed an aspirin factory.

Now, if any of these invoked an emotion in you - negative or positive-then you can instantly recognize the potency of their ability to get the masses attention. Advertising 101. Attention Interest Desire Action (AIDA).

Let's tackle these one at a time.

Fear Spreads Memes

Google: I call the process they are invoking Googleganda. You will recall that they first accused Bing of scraping their results. (God forbid a scraper which is what a search engine does, actually scrapes). Then they penalized JC Penny and Overstock. Both stories went out through the proper PR channels and then through the final spokesman for Google talk, Matt Cutts.

Now that was the short version of the content. In reality this is a familiar story that has repeated itself over the years. Punish a big known site like Mercedes Benz of a few years ago.  Then magically their results returned about a month or two later. I imagine a few lawyers were involved.

This was most likely done not by their algo, but by hand. Otherwise, how do they or we know it was those two sites? That just so happen to be well known name brands?

Sure their is something going on. But the target is really Facebook. Google has managed to steal away a months worth of internet talk focused on Google.

The result is fear behavior. Which often leads to irrational behavior.

From an email that is similar to many other emails I have received from vendors looking to piggy back the headlines to induce fear not just for Google. But also that they know the way to doing it right. 

 Google has just shaken up the U.S. with what may be the BIGGEST update in the past ever. ..Some of the most popular sites have lost 35% of their traffic literally in 48 hours.  ....it's way deeper than that as my investigation reveals."

Man I gotta read it! And then the author goes onto reveal the same stuff he would have said a year ago. Folks good SEO is good SEO.

And the truth gets lost in the details because we remember the headlines. And the truth gets sullied as it spreads much like a story gets changed in the child's game "whisper down the lane".

Google says 12% of their SERPS have changed

 Of course the implication of this headline is whatever you want it to mean. And that is the point.  12% of what? 12% of the crappy sites? Good sites? Will you define a crappy site? The answer is no they won't and theirein is the reason this game can continue. Sort of like a good conspiracy theory.

The Government will always keep most of the 9/11 disaster a secret. Leaving the theorists to come up with any cockamamy answer to the story they want.

 Any good search engine optimizer worth her salt knows that if serps have changed to not panic. And wait it out a bit to systematically implement needed changes. So hang in there if you have seen a shift. Never throw the baby out with the bath water. What happened may not be because of a Google change but a change you made at some point near the shift.

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How Sarah Palin Sells More Cell Phones For Liberals

The above graphic is from an insert that came with a sales letter to join Credo Mobil.They are obviously going after one side of the political aisle. Which means they are not going after the other side. In fact they are pushing that side away from them. This is actually part of a letter I received the other day. Download Polarize-credo letter.

Polarization

Funny thing about polarization. If you agree with the above you probably are not in the least bit offended. And in fact you may feel energized and vilified. While the conservative ilk definitely will find this offensive and insulting. No matter which side you are on I urge you to notice any emotional response that you feel and observe rather than react.

Instead understand the dynamics and manipulation. This is marketing. This is as harsh as it gets. But it works. 

The Fuel to Triple Your Business

I learned long ago that do what great people do, and that you can achieve that same success. Model their actions to get what they got. Unfortunately, most successful people cannot tell you why they are successful. 

Some simply lack that ability. Some are too secretive for fear of loss of advantage. Pete Carroll is not such an individual. He has shared his success secret. And he says the right things. It is because of his beliefs. His philosophy. (See belo)w

Look at many great business icons in our society and many terrific actors. And their personal lives leave trails of despair that paints a telling warning. They simply put hard work and razor sharp focus into their work.  And in fact are married to their business. Soon to be, if not already divorced from their relationships that matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fuel that will drive your business, your goals, your marriage and your life are your values. Your vision or as Pete Carroll call it your philosophy. Your strategy and tactics should flow from your values in this day of transparency running a business with integrity is more important than ever. Interestingly Carroll is one of the first NCAA Coaches to embrace the social media.

10 THINGS TO TRY IN 2011 For Your Brand

Image via Wikipedia

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR YOUR BRAND: 10 THINGS TO TRY IN 2011
guest post

1. BE COURAGEOUS, OFTEN
Take bold steps to stand out from the crowd. Reflect on 2010 and look at what you did well, and what you could have been different. Take courageous steps to help your brand stand out in 2011.

2. REVISIT AND REFINE YOUR PURPOSE
Take the time to look back at your mission and vision and ask if you were living it in 2010. Look for places to bring it to life with your team and explore whether you need to refine it. Remember: the words aren't set in stone. If they're not resonating, rewrite and revise!

3. SHUT UP AND LISTEN
There's a lot to learn if you just take the time to listen. Make sure you ask your team for feedback, ideas and suggestions. Listen to your consumers and pay attention to research. Listen to what they have to say and act on what you've heard. Honest, unfiltered feedback is fuel for change.
 
4. FIND AN ENEMY
An enemy gives you and your team something to push against–something to challenge. An enemy inspires passion!  This year, define a clear enemy and rally your team. It could be a competitor, a trend or an element of your internal culture. No matter what it is, create a plan to beat it, share the mission with your team and go forth!

WikiLeak Your Website All Over the Web

Image by DonkeyHotey 

This guy wikileaked your website business.

What does Wiki Leaks Adrianne Assange and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg  have in common? Zuckerberg  is Time Man of the year. Him and Assange have owned the news of late. They are everywhere.  Mark is on Time Magazine, while Assange is making us rethink the first ammendment.

For awhile, many privacy experts worried about Google's intrusions into our daily lives. Much of the free goodies that Google has handed out to us is known by insiders in the SEO industry as spyware. Now Facebook and to a lesser degree other social sites with your profile are leaking data about you. Your reputation is at risk.

The Naked Guru

Look, right now there is a plethora of self proclaimed social media gurus going around the Country and the net selling a philosophy of what we used to call spam. Just posting your wares is not social and not interesting.

I have learned something in my short life. That what one says and what one does may not always match. Online we are able to discover ones actions quite easily to determine any hypocrisy vs how real a brand behaves. 

A good sales pitch using fuzzy logic can obfuscate the truth of a product or service.The pitch makes claims based on a foundation that is shaky at best. Ask the guru. Better yet, check out the guru online. What are they doing to market themselves?

I noticed this long ago as vendors pitched blogging or SEO. And yet did a very poor job of blogging or SEOing their own services. Or did opposite of what they were selling.  Many putting their clients at risk.

Truth Alert Making money today is a bitch!

Technology is moving at record speeds. Implementation of your processes (assuming you have processes) is critical not just for massive success but for survival. Online has never been a simple build it and they will come. (Well actually that isn't true as someone with a little cash and a little brains could make a fortune 3 or 4 years ago).

Now the world is whizzing by and for many. They still cannot publish a lick.

IF YOU ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW NOT TO PUBLISH YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE

Want to know the number one secret for publishing online?

Be interesting. Provocative.

Again more to come on that one on another post. Think Lady GaGa for a hint. 

The era of plug n play is dead. The ability to duplicate your digital billboard is too easy. With a little cash and gumption you can take anyone down. Even a Country's hallowed dirty secrets.

The Reputation Economy

Your Reputation is the new Online Currency. If you have followed my SEO advice at all you know that links have always been the currency of getting ranked. They still are. And if you think about it. The reason links are so important is that they are in essence a measure of a sites reputation.

And getting ranked high in a search engine like Google would eventually equate to cash. But there is a new currency fighting for the marketplaces attention.

Now with social media. Reputation is earned with not just links, but the currency of Likes and Reviews.  It may in some cases help with ranking. But in new ways.

I will go over some tactics in future posts but suffice it to say your reputation matters online. And to that extent if you do not publish you will not have a reputation. And you will not matter to the market.

By the way get used to asking for testimonials and reviews on minimally Google Places, Facebook Fan/Places, and Yelp. And if you would be so kind as to press like button just below this post :-).