Benton Media Group... internet business design, development and seo

Staying on top of your on-line marketing

BBenton — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:42:28 +0000

There is no doubt that the real estate industry is one of, if not the toughest profession. Not only are there a lot of licensed agents out there, they are motivated. So, when competition is thick, how do you differentiate yourself from the others? One of the easiest, although sometimes overwhelming phases of your marketing strategy is your on line presence. The great thing about your on line marketing campaign is that it works for you 24/7. While you are out showing property, performing a listing presentation, or even sleeping; your on line efforts are at work.

A critical part of your web effort that some agents tend to forget, is that you have to stay on top of it. This is not something you just throw together and then forget about. It is critical that you update your profiles and add new content to your sites, blogs, and on line communities. For example, what do you think when you go to a blog that has not been updated in a couple of weeks? Where did they go? Are they still in the business? You already know how important it is to stay in front of your clients and prospects with e-mail and mailings; it is just as important to do so on line.

A great tool that many blog services offer to assist you with this task is that of post dating your blog entries. Take some time to write a few articles in one sitting, but schedule them to post at a later date. Do this once a week and you have a great pipe line of articles created. Another great tool for Twitter is called tweetlater. Much like post dating you blog posts, tweetlater allows you to post date your tweet updates. Going out of town? Just want to stay ahead of things? These are two great tools to help you. Stay tuned for more helpful hints from Agent Nation.

More Search Engine Confusion

BBenton — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:38:57 +0000

Real Estate professionals often ask what what is Real Estate SEM? Or what is Real Estate SEO? And what is the difference between Real Estate SEM and SEO?

Real Estate SEM and SEO are both effective Internet marketing strategies that have their unique benefits and weaknesses

Real Estate SEM, or search engine marketing, is a broad term that encompasses multiple methods of online marketing. SEM for Real Estate can include paid Internet advertising (pay per click), banner ads, blog postings, paid listings, and natural (or organic) search engine optimization.

immediate results
more expensive in the long run
competitive terms can be pricey
perishable
some Internet users are wary of paid advertising
control of visitor’s landing page
no minimum entry cost

Real Estate SEO, or search engine optimization, is a more specific term for the process of driving website ranking up in search engine’s natural (or organic) results.

no immediate results
cheaper in the long run
non perishable
long term benefits
better long term ROI
financial investment, high entry cost

The greatest benefits can be generated from a combination of SEM and SEO. They both have their strengths and weaknesses which when balanced can bring in the optimum amount of traffic, leads, and sales.

Your next target market.

BBenton — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:33:28 +0000

The Millennial Generation, those born during 1983 to 2003 became the generation always on the go. Their parents had them actively involved in sports or after school activities to the point where it is hard for them to stay focused for a long time. They get bored easily. Everything was scheduled for them. There was not much down time. They were brought up immersed in technology, i.e. cell phones, laptop computers, emailing, etc. As such, they are extremely mobile and even have an emotional attachment to their cell phones and computers.

Meet your next client; about 80 million of them, and they’re rapidly taking over from the baby boomers. The Millennial Generation is upscale, well educated, and influential. This is an important generation to understand.

You already know that it takes at least ten “reminders” for someone to think of your services. What do you do when that potential client not only consumes an enormous amount of information, but does so through multiply mediums? You stay in front of them. One of the most important things to remember about this group is that they do not seek information, the information comes to them. With that in mind it is even more critical for you to diversify your marketing portfolio. As you continue with your tried and true marketing methods, add some new tools. Although you may be a member of one social network, you may need to join others to reach a wider audience. Think of this as casting a net for bait fish. The wider your net, the more fish you will catch.

The key to this multi tasking marketing plan is to be efficient and effective. This is a visual generation that has a short attention span. Providing a multi media listing presentation to earn their listing or a digital marketing package to present your listing will get their attention. Keep things short and simple and you have them.

What is web 2.0 anyway?

BBenton — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:11:14 +0000

To make the concept of “Web 2.0″ simple, we came up with the following:

The first generation of the Internet net offered one way communication. You got on line, found the information you needed and that was it. Now, the second generation; or Web 2.0, offers two way communication. Blogs offer readers the opportunity to communicate with others, social networks create communities, and Wikis allow readers and users to edit and add content to the site.

The real estate profession is and always has been a service oriented business. You have mastered the art of prospecting and building rapport. Now you just take those skills on line. The first generation of the Internet gave you the tools to talk to your clients, now you can talk with them.