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February 2, 2010: A Frenzied 5 Creative Ways to Use A Real Estate Blog to Demolish Your Market Competition
Comments: 31 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging
Today’s offering is a guest post from Tomato client and real estate blogging guru, Ben Roberts of Exit Pro Realty and TheExitPro.com. Thanks for the effort, Ben! — Readers of The Real Estate Tomato come in one of three flavors... They've got a RET blog and are always reading and improving their skills. They don't have a RET blog and are considering making the investment in their online presence. They stumble upon the Tomato and are in awe of the fresh ideas within these juicy posts... leading them inevitably to numbers 2 or 1. I can say this of course, because I'm a guest contributor. Regardless of who you are or what you want to glean from this blog, you come for information. How can I bump up my internet presence? What should I do to differentiate myself from others in my market? How can I convert more website visitors...

March 31, 2009: Lost In The Crowd: Realtors Fail To Effectively Leverage Social Media.
Comments: 12 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Real Estate Blogging
Don't Get Caught On Your Knees Sifting For Gold When You Could Be On Stage, Making A Lasting Impression. I am so proud of the real estate industry. You've come so far! In the latter half of the 90's decade, as the Internet promised to be a modern gold rush, curiously, Realtors showed little interest. It wasn't until just recently that the Realtor's personal website was accepted as an obligatory expense. The irony is that now it has little chance of being effective. But today, I actually have faith in the real estate agent's embrace of the Internet as an effective marketing tool. As much as the $500 brochure website of yesteryear catered to the ego of the Glamour Shots® agent, it failed to jibe with their gregarious nature. Affable and outgoing agents couldn't recognize any immediate relevance to their obvious business model; network, network, network. Yet now, with the...

February 7, 2009: Organic Search Placement - Why Real Estate Agents NEED It!
Comments: 21 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Guest Author
Denny Oh, Tomato Graduate out of San Diego, CA, sent me a link the other day letting me know it would make for good blog fodder. So I challenged him to make it happen, and he did Organic Search Placement - Why Real Estate Agents NEED It! By Denny Oh As I was deleting (notice, I didn’t say reading) all my emails this morning from my inbox, I saw one from RISMedia that caught my eye – Why Organic Search Placement is the Best Form of Advertising You Can Have. Granted, it’s a pretty boring, not to mention lengthy, headline, but it obviously worked. Since I use blogging as my primary marketing tool, I figured I’d take a look. The article didn’t really point out anything new, but it did reinforce what I already knew and it also motivated me to blog more. The author, Mike Parker, shared something he...

December 17, 2008: Social Media: It's About the Contact, Not the Conversation
Comments: 25 | Categories: Announcements , Blog Marketing , Guest Author
We have a real treat for you today here at the Tomato. Brian Brady, easily one of the most well-known Mortgage Bloggers on the planet, has just delivered to us, a solid piece on a topic that we both feel really needs some clarity: Social Media. If you are struggling to embrace social media as a viable marketing strategy, this post, and the announcement at the end is your ticket to success. It's About the Contact, Not the Conversation By Brian Brady Google calls me "America's #1 Mortgage Broker" but funding loans is not what I do for a living. You might consider yourself to be a "real estate consultant" or a "short sale specialist" but I assure you that your job is not selling houses. You and I are Marketers...Salespeople...Client Attractors. Our number one job is to find prospective clients. Now, I know that many folks detest that role....

October 14, 2008: Warning: These Simple Podcasting Secrets Will Increase Blog Traffic
Comments: 8 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging
As I head out of town for the week, thinking I really need to get an article published, our new friend Jessica Donovan from Real Estate License Direct swooped in with a guest post, on a topic that I have hardly covered: Podcasting. So lucky you; instead of having to wait until I get back with enchanting stories from the turquoise coast of Bermuda, Jessica is holding down the fort with this sweet post. Thanks Jessica! Warning: These Simple Podcasting Secrets Will Increase Blog Traffic By Jessica Donovan What if someone told you that you could increase your blogs traffic, subscribers and exposure with little to no work and without costing you a single cent, would you be interested? Listen, if hearing all of that wouldn't peak your curiosity, you may need to reconsider your means of generating new clients, because that would have the rest of us doing some...

September 22, 2008: My 6 Favorite Things About BiggerPockets.com
Comments: 3 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging
Josh Dorkin and I have had a few conversations over the last few weeks, and the more I learn about what he is doing the more I like it. I know we normally stick to blogging advice here… but there’s a tie-in with the praise, I promise. BiggerPockets is a real estate social network and resource directory that currently boasts 22,354 members. Since its founding in 2004 as an investing portal, BiggerPockets has revolutionized the way people in the real estate world network, make deals, learn about real estate, and market themselves and their businesses. Some of the many capabilities for members (membership is free) include: Marketing1. The BiggerPockets Bulletin. Think: Digg for Real Estate. Share your blog articles, links, images, etc. on their real estate social bookmarking platform. BiggerPockets Bulletin is a closely monitored, a spam free environment that receives 1000’s of unique visitors a day. Want exposure? Post...

July 31, 2008: Miss Out On Inman Connect 2008 SF? - Taking Your Real Estate Blog To The Next Level - The Panel
Comments: 11 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging
Last week, at the Inman Connect Conference in San Francisco, I had the pleasure of sharing a panel with Dustin Luther (4Realz.net), Daniel Rothamel (RealEstateZebra.com) and Nicole Nicolay (MyTechOpinion.com). I may not be most impartial judge, but I truly felt that the topic was the most interesting of all Wednesday’s panels. There are several hundred bloggers that have found certain levels of success with their real estate blog. Now these bloggers are hungry to take it to the next level, so I saw the timing of this panel to be perfect for so many in the RE.net In case you missed it, here is our panel below in it’s full form, as moderated by RealEstateShows.com’s Jeff Turner. The next day, there was a great article on InmanNews.com that gave an editorial overview of our panel. Feel free to check it out, there’s a nice jump in the comments as well....

June 9, 2008: A Clever and Effective Way To Gain More Real Estate Blog Subscribers
Comments: 22 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging
About a month ago I received, in the mail (yes, the kind with real letters, bills and magazines) an envelope with 3 items in it. The first was a a New Blog Announcement, something like a Baby Announcement: It’s a BLOG! The second a business card showcasing the Blog Address and contact information for Michael Bergin and Virginia Amos (on the reverse), proud new owners (and authors) of GWSleptHere.com. For those not “in the know” – GWSleptHere is embracing the common local claim to various local destinations in greater Alexandria, VA, that the Father of our nation, President George Washington, slept on the grounds. The third item was a a faded $1 bill likeness (you know, the one with George Washington on it) offering a quick and easy was to receive a $5 Starbucks Gift Card: Subscribe to GWSleptHere.com. I found the marketing idea so clever and fun, that I...

March 30, 2008: Writing Your Real Estate Blog Primarily to Google is a Squandered Opportunity.
Comments: 31 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blog SEO Advice , Blog Writing Tips , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging
Thanks to the recent frequency and quality of guest posts, I’ve had the pleasure of taking a little time off from shouldering the content on the Tomato. Keeping in stride, we have another treat for you. Todd Carpenter, ubiquitous RE.net participant, and owner and author of the globally appreciated mariah.com (a web 2.0 real estate network of websites), just emailed over this solid piece weighing the value of blogging for Search Engine exposure. Writing Your Real Estate Blog Primarily to Google is a Squandered Opportunity. By Todd Carpenter What’s the difference between a blogging expert and a real estate expert? Blogging experts may or may not understand how the real estate industry operates. Take, for example the theory forwarded that, for the sake of superior Google search results, bloggers should not write about their community. That instead, they should stick to posts that are only about real estate itself. You’ll...

March 4, 2008: Starting A Real Estate Blog? Grab That Email Database, Let's Get You Read
Comments: 20 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blog Syndication , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging
When I started the Real Estate Tomato, in June of 2006, I had one reader, me. Before the first month was over, I was averaging 30 unique visitors a day. Within 2 months it was 135 unique visitors a day. How did we get out of the gates so quickly? We did it in part, with an old friend: The Email Database. To make a business blog a successful marketing strategy, you need to have an audience of potential clients. Having been a consultant for online real estate marketing for 6 years before starting the Tomato, I had a mighty database of real estate agents, lenders, industry professionals and friends. If I was going to regularly write articles about leveraging the internet as a marketing tool for real estate, then this was the audience I would want to be paying attention. So I shoved it down their throat. Well, not...

February 24, 2008: 7 Reasons Why Your Local Real Estate Blogging Peers Are Not Your Competition
Comments: 24 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blog Participation , Blog Writing Tips , Real Estate Blogging
Because the clients we work with have such a positive experience with their blogging, they commonly express the concern that they would prefer us to not educate others in their geographic areas of focus. Sometimes they ask in jest, other times they are actually dead serious and willing to pay for exclusivity. As unwise as this is from a business growth standpoint for us, this is not the reason I discourage this manner of thinking. Below are 7 arguments in favor of the growth of the real estate blogging community, in your town. And, selling more custom blogs and training is not one of them. 1. Coke Needs Pepsi. McDonalds Needs Burger King. Why? Because the consumer should not be discouraged to get more of what they want, just because they can't have their preferred product. Coke can't be in all places at all times. So Pepsi is there to...

February 20, 2008: Is Your Website Working Against Your Real Estate Career?
Comments: 37 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
No one is denying that there has been a shake-up in the real estate industry. Empty cubicles, where there once was a waiting list, tell the story better than I could. A thinning of the herd is always a positive thing for those staying put, but the bottom line is that there will always be more agents in the field than ready-to-act buyers and sellers. So we ask, what are you doing to ensure that you are a 'stayer' in 2008? There is common saying that I can't see being much more appropriate than now: Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Along with this national 'shift in the market', that has many agents looking for a new career, there is another 'shift' that will certainly lead to the frustration and demise of many seasoned and novice agents alike. The Digital Divide. In 1997, an agent having an online identity was...

January 31, 2008: Are You IN or OUT With Real Estate Blogging?
Comments: 32 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Marc Grayson , Real Estate Blogging
Our resident Internet Marketing Specialist, Marc Grayson of Webographers fame, has just sent over his first Tomato contribution of 2008, and it couldn’t have been more timely. I hadn’t told him when he submitted the idea, but I have been meaning to write on this topic for the last week. You snooze, you lose. Perhaps I’ll save my banter for the comments along with y’all. Are You IN or OUT With Real Estate Blogging? By Marc Grayson You may have thought I was referring to, "are you in with blogging or out with blogging". Actually, what we seeing today are differentiations in blogging and communicating online given: your peers (Inside) and to consumers (Outside). Should real estate professionals stick to one audience...having more than 1 blog? Why is this important? Let's take a look at what service providers are up to. What were seeing today in Web 2.0 are lines...

January 12, 2008: 7 Reasons Why You Should Consider an Extreme Internet Marketing Makeover For Your Real Estate Business
Comments: 6 | Categories: Announcements , Blog Marketing , Marketing Solutions , Products and Services
7 Real Estate Marketing Powerhouses Team Up To Give Away More Than $16,000 Worth of Services, For Free! Our good friends over at Online Marketing Strategies had this crazy idea: Let’s get a bunch of very effective and cutting edge real estate marketing companies together to change someone’s life. The Real Estate Tomato was lucky enough to be chosen to be a part of this event, and we couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to see who wins. The Contributors To The Winner’s Package Include: - Online Marketing Strategies - This Web design and marketing firm will deliver a thorough review of the winner’s Web site, ultimately to design a highly targeted Web site incorporating the latest marketing techniques. The winner will also receive a custom, high-resolution print artwork branded from their Web site for business cards, letterhead, envelopes, Just Listed and Just Sold cards. VALUE $7500 - Jim...

October 7, 2007: Kick the Pay Per Click Habit: 7 Reasons Why Real Estate Blogging Is Better For Your Business
Comments: 37 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Collaborative Articles , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging
Our goal here at the Tomato is to educate Real Estate Professionals on the fine art of successful business blogging. Now that our Active Vine of Blogging Clients has grown well past the 100 mark, it's obvious we have an army of savvy real estate bloggers. In an effort to bring real, first hand knowledge to our readers, we will be collaborating with the Tomato Bloggers in the form of a weekly post. Monday's articles are now the result of the collective writings of our clients around a Blogging Advice Topic that we discuss in a private forum. This weeks topic: What Makes Real Estate Blogging Better Than Pay-Per-Click Campaigns? 1. Longevity Online Presence and Self Preservation Pay-Per-Click advertising is an effective traffic generator while you are paying, but as soon as you stop paying, the traffic ceases, as does your increased presence online. There is a direct correlation between...

July 11, 2007: The Real Estate Blogsite Myth
Comments: 15 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging
Every client we work with has different real estate blog development needs. Often the concern is, “Do I need to replace the real estate website I already have in order to incorporate a blog into my marketing?” The answer: “It depends.” First, a quick look at the difference between the website, blog and blogsite: Website: Standard online presence; homepage, secondary pages, forms, listings etc. Blog: Database of articles appearing in reverse chronological order, sortable by category, keyword and date. Blogsite: The combination of the above. Let is be known, that I am a fan of the real estate blogsite. There are many obvious benefits: A single root domain (yourrealestateblogsite.com) for the website and blog. One branded look and feel. One hosting service. One development company. But it needs be explained that dumping your current real estate website to replace it with a real estate blogsite is not always the best...

April 10, 2007: 7 Compelling Reasons Google AdSense Will Ruin Your Real Estate Blog
Comments: 31 | Categories: Blog Dos and Don'ts , Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Search Engines , Topics and Opinions
1. Advertisements Will Cheapen Your Blog Nothing makes you look cheesier than having a bunch of ads next to your honest message. Especially ads that you really have no supreme control over. I can forgive some solid sponsorship that directly relates to the visitor's needs and interest. We showcase BlogJet on the TomatoBlogs site because we personally use it, and feel that it is a great tool that our readers should experience. 2. Lack Of Control Will Lead To Some Surprises Browsing around a real estate marketing blog that uses Google AdSense Advertisements to supplement their income, we stumbled across this completely off topic ad: Image to right. The message may mislead your audience. In an environment where readership and subscription are the goal, establishing the focus of your message is essential. 3. Your Keywords Attract Ads From Your Competition The GoogleAdWords ads are often generated by relating keywords from...

February 19, 2007: Local Blog Traffic, The Old Fashioned Way
Comments: 13 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging
I didn't coin it (Burke Smith did), but I love to use it: Technology won't replace agents; agents with technology will replace agents. There's a ton of talk about the next generation of Realtors and their unique approach to the business. The most common theme is that their use of technology and embrace of the collaborative culture will change the landscape of the industry so drastically that it will effectively bury the Old Guard. This prediction is most likely true; it's hard to turn back the clock when a tidal wave of change is bearing down. Don't be so quick to embrace what's new without taking along what's tried and true. Learning from what worked well for the Baby Boomers will help you best understand how to not only reach them but also how to improve on these new tools. Your local audience responds to your local effort. The farm...

December 29, 2006: Your Broker-Manager Hates Your Real Estate Blog
Comments: 44 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
Again, we are thrilled to announce that we have another great article by the our own real estate blogging goddess, Teresa Boardman. Earlier this month she presented her strategy for 2007 with: Business Plan 2007: Blog For Leads. This week she spits in the tiger’s eye: Your Broker/Manager Hates Your Blog Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but chances are if you have been spending some time on your blog you are not getting a lot of support from yours peers in the office or the important folks at your real estate company. If this is the case I have some good news for you and some bad news. First the good news, you are on the right side of the new digital divide if you are reading this post on the Tomato. You came here because you wanted to learn or maybe take an idea you read...

November 21, 2006: Is 12 Months Too Long? The Real Estate Blog Is The Ultimate Drip Marketing Campaign
Comments: 12 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Marketing Solutions , Topics and Opinions
The industry stats claim that it will take between 6 and 18 months to incubate the Internet Lead. Is a mean of 12 months too long? Can the real estate blog accelerate this? First, let's define the Internet Lead: A valid email address, acquired through your Internet presence (read: site). The obvious is that with an email address you are limited as to how you can communicate to them. Without a blog: If the direct communications (personal, direct email efforts) are ignored, you are left using email drip systems (canned?) and IDX listing updates (better). I can see that with only these options in your arsenal then 6 to 18 months of incubation should be expected. Email drip systems work well to continue to educate and brand, and IDX maintains buyers' interest, but neither really work the warmer lead, still hiding behind their email address. The Real Estate Blog is...

November 8, 2006: Why Is A Nationwide Audience A Good Thing If I Specialize In Local Real Estate?
Comments: 24 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging
Most real estate agents are very specific as to the area in which they specialize when it comes to generating leads and operating their business. Even within a city, most agents will identify themselves with a radius that encompasses a only few neighborhoods. Their aim is to have the majority of their business generated from their local referrals and marketing efforts. Inquiries outside of their sphere will be referred out to another rather than spreading themselves too thin, geographically. So, beyond the obvious relocation business, why would a real estate blogger be interested in reaching a nationwide audience? I have no national blogging statistics to stand on, but I can safely say that the traffic one generates from successful blogging cannot be limited to a local range. In fact, I'd be willing to entertain the idea that most of the traffic one generates from business blogging is not local. If...

October 29, 2006: How Giving Away Trade Secrets Makes For A Successful Blog
Comments: 34 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Blogging Advice
I received an unexpected response the day* I decided to start telling everyone I knew that I had started the Real Estate Tomato. Most people ignored the announcement.... but I expected that. What wasn't expected was that a colleague of mine that has also been making a living as a marketing consultant for real estate professionals, called me to tell me that I was making a big mistake with this new blog. In fact, he was very concerned; feeling that I was giving away trade secrets that I should reserve for leveraging the sale of websites. He said that we need to keep this knowledge close to us, this way we still have value to those whom we are pitching our wares. Revealing our insight for free, on a silver platter, would make our wisdom common knowledge, and therefore less effective when closing a deal. This got me thinking. If...

August 26, 2006: Don’t Be The Ignored Real Estate Blog, How to Avoid The Starbucks Mistake
Comments: 12 | Categories: Blog Marketing , Marketing Solutions
Is it safe to assume that you've have been to a Starbucks, and are familiar with the ubiquitous white cup with the round, green logo on it? Somewhere on that cup is their web address: www.Starbucks.com. How many of you have been to Starbucks.com? The response is almost always "none." The scarce few that have are checking the balance on their Starbucks Card. Most have never even noticed the web address on the cup (this is Starbucks' first mistake). It would be a safe bet that less than .01% of their loyal customers have ever been to their website. 1000's of worldwide stores and close to a million white cup holders every day… if I am right, it's a pitiful reality. How many white cups are brought back to work, to be left just inches from a keyboard, and yet, the website remains ignored? You should be thinking to yourself,...