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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 22, 2008: Three Letters I Don't Think About When Writing A Post For My Real Estate Blog
Comments: 24 | Categories: Blog Content Creation , Blog Dos and Don'ts , Blog Writing Tips , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
Our favorite “Tell-it-like-it-is” correspondent from the real estate blogosphere, Teresa Boardman, is back with her first Tomato contribution of 2008. Recently there has been some discussion as to what approach we should take when it comes to considering the search engines with a real estate blog article writing style. Teresa, a proven success with her straight forward approach, serves up a spoonful of perspective, keeping us all in check: The Three Letters I Don’t Think About When Writing a Post For My Real Estate BlogBy Teresa Boardman There are three letters that I don’t think about when I write a blog post, they are S, E and O. I consider my posts and photographs to be a kind of creative endeavor and I can’t be creative if I am thinking about Google. I do need to attract search engines but my main goal is to attract the people who are...

November 9, 2007: What Is The Future Of The Real Estate Blog?
Comments: 29 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Blogging Peers , Collaborative Articles , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
This past week’s Collaborative Article topic has been focused on the Future of the Real Estate Blog. Inside the Tomato Forum, the gang hashed out 2 specific questions: 1. What do you see as the future of the real estate blog? 2. What do you fear about the future of the real estate blog? Before we jump into the article that is the highlights of the Tomato Forum discussion, I just wanted to paint a picture of the very near future of real estate blogging I see: Imagine for a moment you are sitting on your couch, feet up, remote in hand. You scroll through your Tivo’d favorites looking for updates from your favorite topics… San Diego Luxury Real Estate being one of them. The console that sits 10 feet away is tomorrow’s television, an all-in-one entertainment center merging Internet, TV, Computer and Game Console. Tivo has selected and recorded...

July 29, 2007: Real Estate Blogging And Search Engines - The News Source Theory
Comments: 15 | Categories: Blog SEO Advice , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Search Engines , Topics and Opinions
I have a theory about the effectiveness of our blogging that is supported as I look for its effect in the search engines (read: Google). Regular Blogging + Core Focus + Ping = News Source Recognition in Google. I have to maintain that this is a theory, because I am not in anyway claiming to have inside knowledge on Google's handling of blog content. However, I can say that from personal experience, and from that of my clients, this theory consistently proves to be a convenient phenomenon. So much so, that I know it can happen for you as well. There is a dichotomy in the the world of real estate websites: There are Real Estate websites that are generating natural traffic from the search engines and Real Estate websites that aren’t. With blogging, there is an opportunity to be the former, if executed properly. I refer to the successful...

July 25, 2007: The Real Estate Industry Does Not Understand Real Estate Blogs
Comments: 23 | Categories: Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
The Real Estate Industry Does Not Understand Real Estate Blogs By Teresa Boardman Our industry is made up of over a million Realtors and some other people too. When it comes to blogs our role models and industry experts seem to be a collection of technology and media companies that are some what removed from the business of buying and selling real estate. They understand how blogs work and even have awards for innovative blogs like the Tomato. Even though this tomato blog is not a real estate blog it is considered an industry leader. I would agree, mainly because Jim is one of the few in our industry that understands real estate blogs and how they can help individual agents attract clients. Jim attracts clients of his own through his blog because it is an excellent example of a business blog. It is focused and never preachy and he...

July 19, 2007: You Can Lead an Agent to Technology, But You Can’t Make ‘Em Type.
Comments: 17 | Categories: Elizabeth Weintraub , Guest Author , Marketing Solutions , Topics and Opinions
A special treat today! One of our original guest authors, Elizabeth Weintraub from About.com, is back with a bold message. You Can Lead an Agent to Technology, But You Can’t Make ‘Em Type. By Elizabeth Weintraub “You can lead an agent to technology, but you can’t make ‘em type.” I made this statement to the marketing director at my company, who roared and then realized the seriousness and truth in that statement. My company announced today that it is withdrawing all advertising from the Sacramento Bee come September 1. It spends, corporate heads estimate, $2 million a year in major newspaper advertising. Part of the problem, the way I see it, is our local paper’s Web site is in direct competition with my company’s Web site for identical eyeballs. The driving force behind that decision likely has to do with the down real estate market in Northern California. Corporations need...

July 3, 2007: Part 2 - Real Estate Agent2.0 Defined - The Drive To Be The Best
Comments: 4 | Categories: Guest Author , Marketing Solutions , Stats and Trends , Topics and Opinions
Steven Groves is back with the second installment of his growing definition Agent2.0. Take it away Steve: Agent 2.0 - Defined – The Drive To Be The Best By Steven Groves So far in the rollout of the Agent2.0 model, I have talked about social media and the resulting social capital. Now I need to tell you that once you get in front of a prospect, none of that matters – it mattered to get them there, but once a prospect / client has requested contact, the needs of the Agent2.0 changes gears. From that point forward, a whole other set of tools / tactics come into play; we'll cover the personal drive to be the best first. The Drive to Be The Best "It’s a funny thing about life. If you refuse to settle for anything less than the best, that’s what it will give you." - W. Somerset...

June 25, 2007: Real Estate Agent 2.0 - Defined
Comments: 19 | Categories: Guest Author , Marketing Solutions , Topics and Opinions , Web 2.0
It seems the more I try to participate here on the my own blog, the more I am presented with great content that I know our readers will enjoy. Today, we are introducing yet another new member of the Vine, Mr. Steve Groves. His topic: Agent 2.0. Grab a coffee, this is another great ride. Agent 2.0 - Defined By Steven Groves Jim Cronin and I have connected at various levels and he’s allowed a posting of the manifesto of Agent2.0 here at the Tomato and I am grateful. Premise of Agent2.0 – the ‘Duh’ Statement The sale of real estate is / has changed significantly in the last several years. The major shift is the immediate and widely available access to multiple listing service (MLS) data. MLS data was at one time the exclusive domain of the real estate professional, who acted as the gatekeeper of the data to...

June 23, 2007: Should MLS Brokers Be Allowed To Blog About Other MLS Broker's Listings?
Comments: 26 | Categories: Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
New RET contributor, Edde Anderson, of CF Anderson & Co., jumps into the Tomato Patch in controversial form. Edde and I were talking about the topic of this post the other day, and figured it would make for great blog fodder this weekend. Enjoy, and thanks Edde! Should MLS Brokers Be Allowed To Blog About Other MLS Broker's Listings? By Edde Anderson Wow! Let’s give all give a hand for the question of the year. A recent article posted by Inman News on June 12, 2007 reported that the controversial discount real estate brokerage Redfin revived its Sweet Digs blogs after having to shut it down due to an MLS rule violation. The rule basically prohibits brokers from advertising other broker’s listings. So that leads me to heart of the question: Should MLS brokers be allowed to blog about other MLS broker’s listings? In order to answer the question, we...

May 17, 2007: A Real Estate Blogging Event - Let's Write An Article, Together
Comments: 15 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Here at the Tomato, we usually take the role of educators with the aim of covering a topic from many angles and with as much context as possible. This time we are asking for some help for you to provide us with the angles and context that will develop into an article. We would like to use this opportunity to illustrate the power of transparent participation (A.K.A. "Mob Wisdom"). Basically, we want to write an article with our readers, for our readers. We present the topic, and you help us fill in the body. The topic we are presenting as a platform for discussion and participation is: "The Power Of The Team In Today's Real Estate" Planned directions: 1. The Business Of The Real Estate Team. What are the advantages that come with being part of a real estate team? What are the drawbacks? How does being a team affect...

May 7, 2007: Blogger Idol, Where's Simon Cowell When You Need Him?
Comments: 19 | Categories: Blogging Peers , Guest Author , Jason Benesch , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Jason Benesch presented me with the following article and I felt it was so timely that not only did I have to post it, but I decided to contribute some editorial as a 'second half' to the piece. Blogger Idol, Where's Simon Cowell When You Need Him? By Jason Benesch I have to come clean. I have watched every episode of American Idol this season. It's still extremely hard for those words to roll off my tongue, but I believe the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem (so I've heard). I have never before watched a full season of American Idol. Matter of fact, I have never even seen one episode. Before the girlfriend, I was never so compelled, but I have since learned that with relationships, certain TV watching habits must change. But even before the dedication to watching every minute of this season,...

May 3, 2007: Real Estate Blogging: The 80/20 Rule Applied
Comments: 9 | Categories: Blog Writing Tips , Blogging Advice , Blogging Peers , Guest Author , Jonathan Greene , Topics and Opinions
Jonathan Greene is back with a very insightful look at defining the growing success he is experiencing with his Real Estate Blog: Real Opinionated. Real Estate Blogging: The 80/20 Rule Applied By Jonathan Green You've probably heard of the 80/20 rule. It's a contemporary theory related to management, economics, and many other applications that states "20 percent of actions/causes/inputs, etc. will lead to 80 percent of consequences/effects/outputs." The idea is sometimes attributed to Italian economist Pareto who developed the theory in 1906 after observing the unequal wealth distribution is his country. Here are some examples: 20% of Realtors make 80% of the sales. 20% of Families hold 80% of the nations wealth. 20% of your daily tasks net 80% of your best results. You get the point. The theory is surprisingly pervasive. I wondered if the idea applied to blogging, so I set out to make some observations about the...

May 1, 2007: 10 Misconceptions About Real Estate Blogging
Comments: 14 | Categories: Blog Dos and Don'ts , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
Recently, both Teresa Boardman and I took a stab at what we saw as mistakes on real estate blogs. You may have noticed, we don't always agree on what we feel is the best of advice for the Tomato audience, and neither does Kris Berg. This is what makes it such a pleasure to have active participation in the blogosphere. Below is an example of Teresa and I taking the same above headline and having our way with it for your enjoyment. We alternated our items to mix it up a bit. Who’s who? 1. High Traffic = Success Why: Having people come to your site is always a positive thing, certainly. Large numbers should mean large success. Why it's not: Quick success with a blog generally indicates that you have either: 1. Uncovered a popular topic or 2. Piqued the interest of the mob.Popular topics are softballs when it...

April 10, 2007: 7 Compelling Reasons Google AdSense Will Ruin Your Real Estate Blog
Comments: 28 | 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...

April 4, 2007: Authenticity Is The New Black
Comments: 5 | Categories: Guest Author , Landon Ray , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions , Web 2.0
Landon Ray, of Moon-Ray.com is not only one of our latest clients, but he is also our latest member of The Vine. Landon’s direct experience with the online real estate marketing industry makes him a perfect fit for our soapbox, as well as a trusted peer. His marketing savvy is obvious, and his delivery sound. We hope to have him around for a while. Authenticity Is The New Black By Landon Ray Everywhere I look, businesses are beginning to embrace a new strategy for connecting with customers: getting real. Fed by the blogging explosion, sales and marketing organizations are looking at how to drop their corporate masks of sameness and grow real relationships with people. This month’s cover article in Wired Magazine is about authenticity, though they sex it up by using the word ‘naked’ instead. Of all people to profile, they chose Glenn Kelman, CEO of.. Redfin Corp. Love...

March 28, 2007: Coldwell Banker Just Threw Up All Over The Real Estate Blogosphere
Comments: 47 | Categories: Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
A recent inquiry to the Real Estate Tomato lead to the discovery of Coldwell Banker's latest effort to provide their agents with competitive online tools. It seems that in an effort to appear relevant and current, Coldwell Banker has developed a templated blogging platform for their agents to publish their personal real estate insight and wisdom. The result is the epitome of an underwhelming corporate provision meant more to quell the curious than actually serve as useful. First impressions: Disclaimer: I use the term 'blog' with Coldwell Banker's tool very much gratuitously. Perhaps I should have used: "blahg". 1. The Design is Canned. Every blog is identical. If your blog is something that can't be customized, it will always appear as such. The ability to create a custom design not only adds personality and professionalism to your online image, but also has you feeling much more comfortable in your ehome....

March 16, 2007: Do Bloggers Have Too Much Power?
Comments: 15 | Categories: Blog SEO Advice , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
"With Great Power There Must Also Come Great Responsibility!" - Stan Lee, Creator of Spiderman As Google has become a household name (and a verb), a certain amount of faith has followed that recognition. We all now seem to have a certain level of trust in the results that Google provides, regardless of the fact that some if it may not be. In September 2000, keen bloggers soon discovered a search engines results loop hole, coined Google Bombing. The idea that if enough bloggers all linked to a predetermined page and all used the same anchor text, that webpage would soon appear at the top of the results under the anchor text search phrase. At one time, the search phrase "miserable failure" would bring up George Bush's Biography. "On June 2, 2005, Yooter reported that George Bush is now ranked first for the keyword 'miserable', 'failure' and 'miserable failure' in...

March 8, 2007: Who Took The Fun Out Of Blogging?
Comments: 22 | Categories: Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
Who Took The Fun Out Of Blogging? By Teresa Boardman In my last Tomato post, Jim counted my questions and there were 21 of them. He answered them in 9 words. “Find your focus, Write your articles, Go to bed” Not a bad answer but he left out an idea that I think is important: Have fun! Jim is an all around fun kind of guy so I am sure it was an oversight on his part. One wild and crazy Tomato . . . . There are several words I could use to describe the missing idea, the word Joy comes to mind, because that is what I feel while I am working, but I’ll use passion instead because it sounds more business like. Either way it all leads to fun, which is where this is going. If you love your business, and have a business blog, it will...

March 2, 2007: Like A Wedding Where They Forgot To Send Out The Invitations
Comments: 1 | Categories: Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Move Inc. has real estate blogs? That’s news to me. Probably because the splash they’ve made in the real estate blogging community has been at best ‘ho-hum’. Glenn Roberts of Inman News shot me a quick email yesterday looking for my feedback on the budding blogging community of Move Inc. Since I had never heard of them before, my first thought was “either I’m really slipping in my vigilance, or these blogs aren’t anything to be writing about.” The answer was very apparent after a short discovery. The first thing I did was grab any phrase from one of the blogs that had been around a couple of months and search the phrase (in quotations) in Google. No results. I tried again and again. There is absolutely no search engine optimization done for these "blogs" - the quotes are intentional... they look like blogs, smell like blogs, even tasted like...

March 2, 2007: Beam Me Up Jimmy - A Look At Tomorrow's 1st Time Home Buyer
Comments: 12 | Categories: Guest Author , Jason Benesch , Technology - Gadgets , Topics and Opinions , Web 2.0
Jason Benesch, our resident twenty-something, distracted by something he stumbled across online, looks to paint the picture for what Realtors’ future clients are bound to ‘look’ like. The message is clear, this maturing generation of First Time Home Buyer’s is not enticed by the “Old School.” Beam Me Up, Jimmy By Jason Benesch As I watched this video on Web 2.0 and the shifts occurring online, it made me wonder what it was like before the telephone was invented. You mean I had to write someone a letter; with a pen (or was it a quill?)?!?! Once the video had ended, I quickly switched windows (control + tab) over to my iChat with my head still beating to the rhythm of the hypnotic techno that was playing over the screen cast. I wanted to show Jim the video that had just inspired me with a million Web 3.0 ideas. After...

February 28, 2007: 96% Of All Real Estate Blogs Will Fail
Comments: 20 | Categories: Blog Discipline , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Recently Global Research Center published findings that 68% of real estate agents are going to be focusing on blogging as a marketing tool in 2007. I find that number hard to believe. In essence that stat is claiming that there will be the emergence of more than one million real estate blogs launched this year. As exciting a business opportunity as that would be for us real estate blog coaches, I don't anticipate such a tidal wave of adapters. In fact, I don't think that blogging will ever reach as high a penetration rate as 68% of active real estate agents. As effective as blogging can be as a marketing tool, it just isn't in the cards for most. Blogging is not the marketing tool of importance for most for these 4 reasons: 1. It’s Too Much Effort Blogging is a major commitment and the blog's success is a direct...

February 22, 2007: Stop Acting Like Blogging Is Rocket Science
Comments: 21 | Categories: Blog Discipline , Blog Dos and Don'ts , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
(Bear with me.) The avant-garde trend of Blogging Evangelism in real estate blogs has ironically turned quite blase in their ubiquity. What? Let me try that again. It seems that the giving of advice, and the posture of expert, has become so fashionable that it’s impact is lost. What? Let me try that again. Everyone thinks they need to share their expertise, no one is being heard. Oh. Teresa Boardman, our resident real estate blogging goddess asks us 21 questions, less as an effort to gain answers, than to point out how irrelevant the concern is. It seems lately everyone wants to learn from Teresa’s success by assuming they already know where it is coming from. Fancy talking interviewers are clouding the true point and focus of Teresa’s efforts in their own need to explain it all away. It’s not about being an expert; blogging is not rocket science, it’s...

February 15, 2007: Will Blog For Food
Comments: 12 | Categories: Blog Writing Tips , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Jonathan Greene , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
We’ve established and train, that the most crucial step to “finding your blogging voice” is by focusing on core categories and delivering regular content to your audience. That strict approach leaves no room for ‘Blogging Big Picture’ essays if your audience is expecting content about the [your town here] real estate market. It’s a shame if you have a great understanding that you can’t contain and have no appropriate soapbox to express it. The Real Estate Tomato is that soapbox; a destination to shape knowledge and discussion about the real estate blogging big picture itself. Our Vine is growing quickly with real estate bloggers that need to share their understanding of how to approach the blogging as marketing effort. For them it seems therapeutic, for us, it’s both a blessing and an honor. Today we are thrilled to slide the Tomato Soapbox over to Jonathan Greene. What has impressed me...

February 14, 2007: Let's Talk About Your Face
Comments: 23 | Categories: Guest Author , Marketing Solutions , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
These days introductions are hardly needed for Teresa Boardman here in the Real Estate Blogosphere. She’s sassy, honest, insightful and clear. We love her contribution, calling it as she sees it each week. This week the real estate blogging goddess knows it’s not her face that has you recognizing her name, it’s what you’ve learned from her. When a consumer, or potential client goes to your web site what is the first thing they see? Let me guess, is it your face? If you are like most of the 2.8 million real estate professionals out there I guessed correctly. I’ll bet you have a wonderful face and you are very proud of it too, and so is your mother. Where is my face? Other agents ask that question, when they visit my real estate web site or blog but I have never heard a potential client or consumer ask. My...

February 9, 2007: 7 Myths About Real Estate Blogging
Comments: 41 | Categories: Blog Dos and Don'ts , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
I have dedicated today, and the rest of the weekend, officially as “Guest Author Soapbox”. Marc was first, Roberta second and now we have the honor of presenting a controversial piece from a (self-proclaimed) dedicated reader, Sacramento area Realtor, John Lockwood. I expect this piece to generate some discussion, so don’t let me down. And now, John’s piece: 7 Myths About Real Estate Blogging I've been thinking of submitting an article to the Real Estate Tomato for some time. The Tomato is probably the only real estate blogging related blog that I read regularly. Webmaster Jim Cronin and his frequent contributor, Teresa Boardman, do a really good job of putting up with my somewhat twisted world view, and this tolerance has emboldened me to twist it up into a more full length article form. I've been blogging for awhile, since the launch of the web site that now accounts for...

February 9, 2007: If Move.com Were To Murder HouseValues.com
Comments: 4 | Categories: Guest Author , Topics and Opinions
Today we feature a very special guest: Roberta Murphy. Her distinction is that she is the first Real Estate Tomato client to make the Vine. In a conversation yesterday, Roberta revealed to me that she was spitting mad at a certain weak point in Top Producer’s recently upgraded product. Her observation seemed that it would be of great interest to our audience here, so I sent over our soapbox to her immediately. Below is what she hit us with. If Move.com Were To Murder HouseValues.com Here's How I Think It Should Happen: I don't think Move.com has a murderous eye on HouseValues, but perhaps it should. If Move.com wants to meet its ambitious goals, it must. HouseValues with its drip system is/was one of the dominant players in the home valuation field and is one of the more aggressive players in the listing alert market. With their software program (acquired...

February 5, 2007: Tiger Woods Would Beat Me With A Broomstick
Comments: 13 | Categories: Blog Organization , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
...And Why Blogger Bling Is A Waste Of Your Time. I play golf. And that's just it, I play. It is not a business for me, save for the friendly wager I encourage. Yet, for Tiger Woods it's business, it always has been. His goal since he was 3 years old is to be known as the best golfer that ever played the game. As he sets his sights on shattering the (once thought of as unattainable) career watermarks of Jack Nicholas, he, not so quietly, earns mega-millions yearly. His approach has been governed by three elements: Clear Goals, Unwavering Focus, and Hard Work. Without these elements, all the natural talent in the world wouldn't have earned him the title he is bound to earn. So, when Tiger and I go out on a hypothetical golf course and play 18, I know that it is the skills he has honed...

January 29, 2007: Of Blogs And Bricks
Comments: 9 | Categories: Blog Content Creation , Blogging Advice , Blogging Peers , Elizabeth Weintraub , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Lately, blogging advice from successful real estate bloggers has been a hot topic here on the Tomato. Hearing it from Realtors that are in the trenches, actually generating business from blogging, strengthens the confidence of those on the outside looking in. Nearly all my topics these days come from clients' concerns regarding the effort it takes to make it work. Admittedly, I am not a Realtor, but rather a marketing consultant for real estate professionals. So the support that I have receive from the real estate blogging community means the world to me, encouraging my effort. But, I realize I can't do it alone, here on the Tomato. Bringing in voices from the (battle)field makes for greater testimony than the armchair journalist. One of our brazen blogging comrades from the front lines is Elizabeth Weintraub. Her voice is heard on a national platform called About.com, where she pens her daily...

January 24, 2007: Blogger Burnout And The Steps To Avoiding It
Comments: 10 | Categories: Blog Discipline , Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Blogger burnout is the feeling that blogging is no longer worth the effort. Taking the time to develop unique content for a blogsite no longer outweighs the perceived pain of the effort. Burnout comes from one of three reasons: The blog is not successful enough of a marketing effort, the blog is too successful as a marketing effort, or you haven’t paced yourself (too much, too soon). Sure, outside life and business issues may have a crippling effect on one's passion and availability for blogging, but this should not be considered a burnout as much as a distraction. If your business blogging effort isn't paying off based on the expectations you had set, the willingness to keep the pace starts to seem unreasonable, even unnecessary. The lack of results can seem like you are shouting into a hurricane; the effort is great but the reaction is next to none. If...

January 21, 2007: 10 Things Not To Do On Your Real Estate Blog
Comments: 20 | Categories: Blog Dos and Don'ts , Blogging Advice , Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
Normally I don’t write articles about other articles online. It just seems sort of bandwagon-like. Today I have to make an exception due to the timeliness of an article written by our own Teresa Boardman over on ActiveRain. The article was written in the Members Only area of ActiveRain, but I feel that the content is very much public worthy, so we’re bending the rules and delivering it to you. Teresa, who has recently made a stand on Localism in Real Estate Blogging, was driven to write the following real estate blogging guidelines as a surge in inane content plagues ActiveRain. 1. No one cares about you or your health or that your father just died. They don't care that business is bad or that a client just screwed you over. Who wants to read about another's misfortunes? We all have our own to deal with. Leave it off of...

January 12, 2007: Keeping Local Real Estate, Well... Local
Comments: 16 | Categories: Guest Author , Real Estate Blogging , Teresa Boardman , Topics and Opinions
Tiara toting, Tomato T-shirt wearing, real estate blogging goddess, Teresa Boardman stirs the gazpacho this week with her piece examining if there is any value in local real estate bloggers to take their content national. Local vs. National With the explosion of real estate and mortgage blogs being written by professionals all over the country, there is a movement afoot to take these “local” blogs and make them “national”. At least three companies are vying for our attention, and our words. There is no other way to say it, this is just plain silly. Real estate is a local business and consumers come to our sites for local information. They come to our blogs from the best global web site ever created, Google. All of our blogs are national; in fact they are global thanks to the World Wide Web. Most of the world, including me, has not made the...

January 4, 2007: If It Bleeds It Leads - The Death of Bad News?
Comments: 21 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
In the media business there is an expression: "If it bleeds it leads." Basically, audiences are captivated by bad news. Perhaps I have some bad news for the bad news. For the better part of 2006, the real estate blogosphere (it was not my new year's resolution to stop using the term) has been hijacked by those discussing the 'housing bubble'. I'm not going to analyze this significance other than to note that the phenomenon was responsible for a large part of the traffic generated in our community. BlogTopSites (somewhat of an authority for blog community traffic ranking among its participants) consistently lists HousingPanic (a housing bubble blog) as the most visited real estate blog in its ranking system, by a large margin. Two other 'bubble blogs',HousingDoom and PaperMoney round out the top 10, and there are at least another 5 doomsday offerings in the top 40. Not everyone has...

December 31, 2006: Goodbye 2006
Comments: 7 | Categories: Announcements , Topics and Opinions
Happy end of the year everyone! Although we showed up a little late to the party (July), because of your readership and participation, we felt incredibly welcome. Thank you so much. So how’d it go? Craigslist has been hot. Zillow broke the mold. RSS is a household name. Carnivals come to town. Search Engines love Tomatoes. Blogs really work. Forums too. Listings can be advertised for free. ePro is so 2001. ActiveRain is here to stay. It’s possible to post 102 articles in one day. There’s a big difference between an online real estate website and a real estate blog. Blogging is not for everyone. Your listings can be blogs. Participation is key. Keep your website. Blogging equals leads. The Internet is now traditional. It’s best to be heard. Your audience is everything. Start yesterday. Get help. Here’s to a huge 2007! Be Good!

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...

December 26, 2006: What's My Home Worth? CMAs vs. AVMs
Comments: 12 | Categories: Guest Author , Marc Grayson , Topics and Opinions
An exciting element of the Tomato platform is the fortune we have to showcase the efforts of some very capable contributors. Today we introduce a new member to our “vine,” Mr. Marc Grayson. Marc has been a big fan of the Tomato, and we are now able to return the favor of his readership by giving him the floor for the day. Marc is the president and founder of the National Institute of Webographers, the owner of the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER certification found at Webographers.com. Here’s his piece on breaking down the distinction between the traditional Comparative Market Analysis and the newer Automated Valuation Model. Enjoy. What’s My Home Worth? CMAs vs. AVMs Given the online real estate arena, the consumer question of “What’s My Home Worth has spun technology providers to implement various services to answer that basic question. At the core of this question lends itself to thorough...

December 13, 2006: An Interview With Bernice Ross, Real Estate Coach
Comments: 3 | Categories: Interviews , Topics and Opinions
I have written about Bernice Ross before, and hope to have the opportunity to do so again. Bernice is a committed coach, who finds the difference she makes in people's lives to be the most pleasurable aspect of her vocation. That's the guy (lady) you want to have in your corner. While she was grounded (Bernice spends most of the year on the road) this past week, I was able to pin her down for an interview, in order to talk about her perspective on the apparent changes in the real estate market, and what agents can do to prepare, and succeed. The insight she provides is not only clear, but appropriate. And, it seems that we are not the only ones jockeying for time with her; just last month she was interviewed for a Leslie Stahl story with 60 Minutes. The following interview was conducted in a very informal...

December 13, 2006: Where's The Beef? (Who lets them print this?)
Comments: 4 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Eugene L. Meyer writing for RISMedia took a stab at helping agents cut their costs in the slowing market with his article: "Smart Spending: Five Ways to Manage Costs in a Changing Market" The article's 5 tips were provided by 5 'industry experts'. The item that caught my attention, given my industry, was #3: Smart Tech Decisions will Save Dollars Baird intends to shift advertising dollars to the Internet, now accounting for $1 million annually, compared to $3.5 million the firm spends on print advertising. But he says the change is not easy. “We’re locked into some old perceptions with sellers and agents about print media,” he says, “mainly because sellers bought their house by looking in newspapers for the most part, so they want to see their property there.” With the 30-35 age group, however, he says, “Their first question will be: ‘How are you marketing on the Internet....

December 6, 2006: Straight From The Hound's Mouth
Comments: 16 | Categories: Blogging Peers , Interviews , Partners & Friends , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
The real estate blogosphere is still a very intimate community. It's arguable that the same 300 or 400 visitors here today, will be mostly the same group visiting the other top blogs in the industry. So I feel it is safe to assume that you all know the great Hound, Greg Swann of Bloodhound Realty in Phoenix, AZ. Whether my assumption is true or not, it is my pleasure to shine the light on perhaps the most well spoken (written) real estate blogger among us, giving us all the opportunity to peel back the curtain on how he does it. I asked Greg for this interview not just because his writing style is pure prose, nor because I knew his responses would be most polished, but because I feel that he has a great understanding of what he is doing, with every effort. It is that understanding that I wanted...

December 4, 2006: Top 10 List: What Sellers & Buyers Expect From a Real Estate Agent
Comments: 12 | Categories: Blogging Peers , Elizabeth Weintraub , Guest Author , Topics and Opinions
Our guest authors have been received very warmly here at the Tomato, and I think that this is a reflection of the quality of content that they have been able to produce. I receive emails every week from bloggers looking for the opportunity at some exposure (read: links) on our blog. In an effort to maintain the integrity of the content we deliver it needs to be clear that we are first and foremost a destination of knowledge for the online real estate industry. The guest authors we choose to participate are those that bring a clear message of education to our audience. This past week, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Elizabeth Weintraub. Elizabeth is a Sacramento area Realtor with an affinity for blogging and a keen understanding of the relationship between the agent and buyers and sellers. The conversation we had was fast and furious...

November 27, 2006: How Often Should I Blog?
Comments: 16 | Categories: Blog Discipline , Blogging Advice , Marketing Solutions , Topics and Opinions
Once the concept of business blogging is understood, the most common question I hear is: How Often Should I Blog? Before answering the question, we need to examine what the benefits of regular business blogging are and how to realize them 1. Search Engine Seeding Consistent blogging (at least once a week) helps you seed the search engines, making them regular visitors. Hence, the content you write is being spidered and indexed, creating a longer 'tail' of exposure for your blog. Take a few weeks off, and you will fall out of favor with the search engines, and the effectiveness of your efforts will diminish. Your relationship with the search engines can be recovered however through greater participation and a renewed fervor for article posting, but the best strategy is to maintain. 2. Maintaining and Building Readership Similar to the effect your regular blogging has on the search engines, a...

November 22, 2006: The Trend Wave, Grab Your Board
Comments: 11 | Categories: Real Estate Blogging , Stats and Trends , Topics and Opinions
Recently Dave Sifry, writer for Technorati Weblog, provided a detailed analysis of blog growth in his State of The Blogosphere, October, 2006. As of October, Technorati is claiming to track as many as 57 million blogs (see graph). Just 3 years ago, they claimed to be tracking as few as 1 million blogs. And, in the last year alone the number has grown by as many as 40 million new blogs. The obvious statement: The blogging trend has caught on. As new technologies are introduced, accepted and utilized, the trend can be seen as a wave. The wave is made up of 4 sections. Let's call them Early Acceptance, Front Wave, Back Wave, and Late Acceptance. The largest growth periods are seen in the Front and Back waves, while the trailblazers and stragglers make up the smallest growth periods. If the trend graph holds up for the real estate blog,...

November 21, 2006: Is 12 Months Too Long? The Real Estate Blog Is The Ultimate Drip Marketing Campaign
Comments: 11 | 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...

October 18, 2006: Is Internet Marketing, Traditional Marketing?
Comments: 9 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Is Internet Marketing, Traditional Marketing? Nearly 80% of home buyers begin their search online. 100% of buyers I've spoken with begin their search online More than 60% of agents have a personal online presence (read: website) 100% of agents I work with have a presence online Sellers want to know what their agent's online marketing plan is. Your buyers want to know what tools are best for MLS searching. Using an email database for listing updates, open house announcements, virtual fliers and advertising is not just commonplace, but common sense Pay-Per-Click advertising is neither a secret, nor a bad idea. Virtual tours: Been there, done that... ho hum. Online classified sites such as Craigslist, Google Base, LiveDeal, etc attract lots of attention. The amount of activity in one day on Craigslist outweighs your local paper's classifieds whole week Participators are gaining ground in the search engines as opposed to the...

October 4, 2006: "Why Have A Website At All?"
Comments: 11 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Last week's article: The Business Blog vs. The Real Estate Website prompted the same question from both Bonnie Erickson and Teresa Boardman: "Why have a website at all?" It seemed like a great opportunity for a blog post, to defend the standard website, so thanks ladies. We, who are avid bloggers and proponents of blogging may feel that there is no longer a need for a standard real estate website. You remember the good old website; static pages of relevant content, lead generation forms, contact info, branded homepage, some IDX and featured listings sprinkled in... Oh the memories, right? Don't be so quick to stick a fork in them just yet. The standard website still has a place for many (if not most) in the real estate industry. Here are 4 BIG reasons why. You got anymore? 1. Blogging is not for everyone. "To blog or not to blog?" is...

September 25, 2006: The Business Blog vs. The Real Estate Website
Comments: 14 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
As the parking lot of opportunity begins to fill, and more and more Realtors are grabbing their surfboard in an attempt to ride this wave of change called Web 2.0, one question rings most frequent: "What is the difference between a website and a blog." Sounds innocent enough.. but most still don't grasp the distinction. Wikipedia insufficiently defines the blog (or weblog) as "a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), [and] displayed in a reverse chronological order." Although, in essence, that's what happens on a blog, there is much more defining to do. If Realtors are going to recognize the value of blogging, they first need to recognize it's distinction from their personal website. An analogy to help understand the difference: Think of your personal website as a brochure. Think of a blog as the editorial section of a newspaper. The content...

September 13, 2006: Is Big Brother Dead?
Comments: 5 | Categories: Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Has collective collaboration taken the power from the top of the pyramid and dispersed it among the participants? There is no one overseeing camera that records our every move. There are millions of them, in the hands of the public and on the walls of private businesses. The Mainstream Media cannot get the news to us faster than the masses of bloggers do. In addition, if they push something based on an agenda, it is swarmed by truth seekers. New stars and celebrities are created by choice, not force. Peer to Peer file swapping changed the entertainment industry forever. Google Video and YouTube have leeched television viewership significantly, and foreshadow the future of video entertainment. Hopefully, my lack of example doesn't spoil the point of the article. To me it seems that the power, once controlled by the few, is now slipping into the hands of the masses. Not that...

September 9, 2006: New To Business Blogs? The 6 Steps To Getting Started
Comments: 10 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Topics and Opinions
Where does one begin when discovering a business blog that's interesting to them? 1. Determine the mission of the blog Does the mission statement make you feel as if you're one of their intended audience? If you are going to make the blog a part of your regular reading, make sure it is being written with you in mind. 2. Focus on the continuous, core message in the blog Although you may have missed a ton of interesting content in past articles, a blog with a solid focus will continue to deliver their core message. When exploring the archives of a blog, look for that core message to bring you up to speed. Business blogs, like the Real Estate Tomato are written in a circular manner. News, reporting and personal blogs (like BoingBoing) generally are written in a more linear fashion. The difference is that circular blogs have a central...

September 7, 2006: All Lead Companies Are Not Created Equal
Comments: 6 | Categories: Guest Author , Marketing Solutions , Mortgage & Lending , Topics and Opinions
At speaking engagements here in California, I find that although I am reaching out to real estate agents, my audience is almost always split with professionals in the mortgage industry. What strikes me as even more curious is that I am approached by a larger percentage of mortgage professionals, than Realtors after the session. I am not going to try and explain it, but rather embrace it. No, I am not changing into the Mortgage Tomato, however, I would like to not only welcome all our mortgage cousins but provide them with a piece that caters directly to their industry. One of my favorite people on the planet just happens to be an expert on using the internet as a marketing tool for the mortgage industry. So rather than me translate what I know into "lender speak," I invited my friend, Scott Kirkpatrick (CEO of MortgageMarketingSpecialists.com) to take the mic,...

August 30, 2006: Who Let's Them Print This?
Comments: 5 | Categories: Marketing Solutions , Topics and Opinions
Internet Crusade has yet again earned the award for Over Setting the Expectations of Their Unwitting Followers. First it was the reckless statement that their internet foundations class called e-Pro is the guiding light to "Thrive in the Competitive World Of Online Real Estate." Now they think that they have the keys to "Mastering the Blogosphere." Excuse me while I wipe up the coffee I just spit up all over my desk. I swear I don't have a vendetta with Internet Crusade. When I keep coming across them making foolish and irresponsible claims, I just can't seem to contain myself. Here is the article in full as it appeared in Realtor Magazine Online, yesterday: My comments are indentend and appear in blue. 10 Steps to Mastering the Blogosphere Blogs are online journals that give everyone the opportunity to be a writer and publisher. Real estate practitioners use the medium to...

August 29, 2006: What's Missing In Your Real Estate Website?
Comments: 4 | Categories: Interviews , Marketing Solutions , Products and Services , Topics and Opinions
Yesterday, Rory Siems (esteemed member of ActiveRain) and I struggled through the composition of a recorded phone interview using Skype and Audacity. Rory was interviewing me, and he and I can agree that there has to be an easier way given that it is 2006 and all. Today's article is about another topic that came up in Rory's interview with me, but before I get to it, I want to see if the audience has some suggestions on how to go about recording a phone conversation on Skype, with the intention of editing and podcasting it. Thanks for any input. In the interview, Rory asked me: "Is there something that clients want from a Realtor website that agents aren't yet providing?" Understand that I am not stealing the thunder of his podcast/article of our interview. The response to his question was left hanging a bit... and I've been thinking about...

August 21, 2006: Agents Handcuffed
Comments: 5 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
I have worked with thousands of real estate agents over the last few years, and until just recently I have never felt so compelled to stand up against something that is happening to so many of them working under the iron fist of paranoid brokers. A company, that I shall leave unnamed, is asking (read: demanding) that all its agents adhere to a strict set of guidelines regarding their use of the internet as a marketing tool. This policy will affect more than 1000 unwitting real estate agents in the state of California, and I can imagine that it is not the only example of sheer idiocy based on the fear of potential, yet scant litigation. Here's the deal: The power holders in the company are having all agents sign an agreement regarding the use of a third party website; meaning a website other than that which is provided by...

August 16, 2006: e-Pro is a Tinfoil Badge
Comments: 21 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Go ahead, spend the $359 dollars with Internet Crusade and NAR. Then, you get to tell everyone that you are an e-Pro! Congratulations! Now you know how to use email, what a 'connected consumer' is and you might have some handy stats from 2001 to throw around. The e-Pro class is so far removed from what it takes to be competitive in the internet marketplace, that 'graduates' deserve nothing but a tinfoil badge for their efforts. Here's what they promise: Upon completion of this Section, the e-PRO Candidate will be able to: 1. Identify the skills required for success in the New Real Estate Industry 2. List the key characteristics of the new real estate professional 3. Recognize the fundamental demands and expectations of the Connected Consumer 4. List the key components of the technology investment and what will be required to compete in the New Real Estate Industry 5....

August 10, 2006: Your Company Provided Website Is A Waste
Comments: 4 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
First of all, you need to realize that your company provided site, whether it be from Coldwell Banker, Prudential, Keller Williams, John L Scott, Lyon etc. was designed for the benefit of the company, not the agent. Sure, you get all the ubiquitous tools and there's training on how to customize it, but don't fool yourself; your site is just a page within their greater website. Look at these web addresses (without the masking): http://www.johnlscott.com/agentdetail.aspx?ic=1454807 http://camoves.com/agentoffice/agentdetail.aspx?agent=11117&office=102 http://agent.kw.com/view_site.php?associate_id=2189 http://www.prudentialcaliforniare.com/prucal/agentprofile/agent.aspx?AgentID=702135 You can see that the address reveals that this is not a stand alone website, but rather just another number on their site. You can always set up a forwarding domain (www.YourSite.com) but that's just masking the real web address. This distinction is the main reason why your website webpage is a waste. Agent Sites fail in the Search Engines. There are so many reasons why agent sites will never compete in...

August 6, 2006: The Unexpected Blogger
Comments: 0 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
She's retired, but still has her hand in real estate. Never had a website, but a consistent top producer. Her roots are deep in town, and has built her business on her sphere of influence and reputation. So, why does she need to blog? In an effort to keep your attention I am going to abbreviate her strategy, and then explain why the blog is a sound solution for her. Her name is Pat, and we will be following the development of her blog as an example of the success of the Unexpected Blogger. There is small city in North-Central California that is expanding its city limits, and the commercial development of this new expansion. Currently the land that is being included in this expansion includes large ranches, raw land and pastures. Once this change is made, ranchers, farmers and large acreage owners are going to be looking to sell...

August 5, 2006: Catch A Tiger By Its Tail
Comments: 3 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Yesterday, I noticed some traffic coming from a real estate blog I hadn't seen before: oDotZero. It defines itself as "Commentary on Commercial Real Estate, Marketing & Technology." It seems the reason for the traffic is due to an extensive post written in contention of an earlier Tomato article: If You Write It, They Will Come. In my article, I make the claim that simply blogging (consistently) about the real estate industry will broaden your website's content and therefore improve your reach in the search engines. It is my take that you may just have a better shot at uncovering niche traffic to your site through the search engines than trying to compete for uber-popular keyphrases such as "San Diego Real Estate." Apparently oDotZero doesn't agree: I think Cronin’s ideas are correct at their core, but incorrect as to the application because search behavior isn’t what he describes. And: Cronin’s...

July 20, 2006: Steal This Blog!
Comments: 3 | Categories: Blogging Advice , Internet (Sites and Tools) , Marketing Solutions , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions , Web 2.0
The large majority of the Tomato readers are Realtors. It is my mission to help this audience better understand how to embrace the tools that are going to keep them successful. The Tomato itself is an example of embracing a new tool (the blog) only to in turn illustrate how to leverage it yourself. Effective blogging will make you breakaway from your online competition. That is why I implore you to continue to pay attention to this site. Lofty goals for the Tomato inspire daily content and strategy focus. Learn as I we grow; come along for the ride. The Internet is shifting to what is being referred to as Web 2.0. Descriptive titles such as "collective collaboration," "participant architecture," "peer production," and "crowd sourcing" have been used to describe the core value of this shift. Blogs, MySpace, Wikis, Flickr, eBay, YouTube, Craigslist, Shoutcast, Forums and Mozilla are among the...

July 13, 2006: All Your Terms Are Belong To Us
Comments: 2 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Some data was lost yesterday during a brief down-time for TypePad... The post I wrote on the 2 following articles was a casualty. Instead of recreating what was written, I am going to let you form your own opinions. However, I am going to put a small disclaimer in here: The content in these articles does not represent the opinions of the Real Estate Tomato. I know a few bad bad apples can ruin the whole bunch and these articles don't represent the industry as a whole, but I found them interesting and thought you may as well. Here are 2 articles on the vocabulary of real estate agents. Real Estate Agents Enlist Prose To Make Sales From the San Diego Tribune Cracking The Real Estate Code From my favorite magazine: Wired (ps - for those that don't get the title of this post: "All Your Terms Are Belong To...

June 16, 2006: Tomato Juice
Comments: 3 | Categories: Topics and Opinions
Readers, thank you so very much for your kind words. You encouragement is my muse. -- In addition the the below, read what our clients are saying about us too! I love this site. I have found so many interesting things, and opinions about the market. I make it a point to stop here everyday. I have no idea how I even discovered it! Its very motivating to see such an awesome site geared towards our profession. I tell all of my colleagues about it. It really is Juicy News! Thanks Tomato! Stephanie V. --- Out of all the real estate blogsites out there in Cyberspace, I find yours to be the one of the best! Your articles are always well-written, relevant, and extremely practical to my life/business. Thank you! R. Jacobson -- Jim, I have been so enamored by your content and designs. THANK YOU for this website! Beth...