SEO. I have a love/hate relationship with SEO. I can’t seem to get enough, and yet it’s always changing.

As more and more real estate professionals turn to using Wordpress as their real estate website and/or blog, and have more control over their content, their interest in learning and analyzing their Search Engine Optimization practices is central to their success online.

And as many of us scour the web for information and articles to keep us up to date on the latest SEO tips and must haves it’s always nice to find information that is clear, is about real estate SEO, and also differentiates between myth and reality. Today (via Facebook) I saw Tribus Real Estate’s  Eric Stegemann’s latest  blog the Top Ten List of Search Engine Optimization for Realtors.

The “back to basics” proven real estate SEO tips are there, as well as expanding upon the Wordpress specific tips like perma-links and writing content for long-tail searches.

I also asked Eric what his thoughts were on indexable IDX solutions, and opened up a Laura “Can of Worms”   Check out what Eric had to say, and hopefully my line of questioning will spur him to his next blog post! Thanks Eric!

Today I had the pleasure of presenting a webinar for the Active Rain University titled, “Tips and Tools for Managing Your Real Estate Business Virtually”. With over 200 attendees registered its quite apparent that this is one hot real estate topic!  As a real estate virtual assistant I was able to share some of the best tools for setting up a Virtual Real Estate Office, and wanted to make sure I added the presentation here to share with you as requested.

I wanted to thank Brad Andersohn of Active Rain for asking me to participate and to the discussion. We covered some pretty relevant topics in today’s technology driven real estate market, and added in some thoughts on organizing and defining your online business systems so that working away from your desk is streamlined and efficient.

In the presentation below you will find information on:

* Defining the Needs for your Real Estate Business Systems
* Streamlining and Automating your Systems for Higher Productivity
* What Does it Mean to Work in the Cloud?
* Tools and Technology that are full of Mobile Features and Cloud Integration
* Leveraging online and offline support with a Virtual Assistant

Enjoy!

Have you thought about using Wordpress as your main real estate website or blog? Are you concerned about not having the lead capture forms and automated contact management system built in? Well, I might have a solution for you!

I recently moved my real estate virtual assistant website from a standard site, and jumped in and got my own Wordpress blog/website combo. I don’t have the need for as many lead capture points on my site, but I decided that I DID need to do a better job at collecting visitor information, needs, wants, and I wanted a way to streamline the process, build my relationships, as well as build in some email marketing capabilities which I hope to add into my action plans as well. I’m no web designer/guru and I didn’t want to spend a ton more money on another CRM solution.

In looking over my options I quickly made the realization that there aren’t an outstanding number of real estate CRM systems that are quite equipped to handle many of the things traditional real estate websites do, it takes some extra additions. For example the challenges might be:

1. Adding lead capture forms to your blog that include What’s Your Home’s Value, Dream Home Finder, Market Stat Reports, or your Company newsletter/new listing alerts
2. Converting seller/buyer leads from your website to add to Top Producer or Outlook (requires manual input)
3. Based on contact type you have to input the contact info to your drip campaign, e-newsletter etc.

Before you know it, you are managing multiple accounts for your website and blog etc. That is not streamlining! So, here is the most affordable solution I have found so far, and will be adding it to my online business management systems. By using the user-friendly system Batchbook I can create a customizable CRM powerhouse for my business.

For $9.95 per month I have the ability to:

• Create customizable lead capture forms that AUTOMATICALLY are added to my contact management list for that form. (no need to add it to another system).
• Automatically create and send email marketing campaigns through my Mail Chimp account (Mail Chimp is free up to 5000 emails a month, with upgradable accounts).
• Track communications of my contacts and create TO DO lists.
• Import and Export my Outlook and Gmail contacts.
• Enter information such as Twitter usernames, Twitter feeds, blog feeds and LinkedIn profile URLs (plus many others!) on a contact record.
• Log emails, phone call notes, or any other communications with your contacts.
• Use a list to easily generate mailing labels, export, or back up your data or create customized, printable reports from your contact data. Use these reports to generate call lists, add to presentations or to take notes when you’re traveling, in the field, or working off-line.
• Super-Tag your contact types so you can easily sort them by birthday month, anniversary, buyer, seller, past client etc.
• Have your emails delivered to your mobile iphone, Blackberry or smartphone with the email forwarding so you never miss an email from a lead.

If you are thinking about your current CRM system, or need something to enhance your Wordpress blog or website, (or another web platform) and need a great way to streamline, I definitely recommend taking a look at Batchbook. (and check out my sleek capture form below as an example..its easier than adding a widget!)

When considering your real estate website options, its easy to get overwhelmed. You need a website, you need a blog, and you need it to be branded and nowadays..you don’t want to spend a lot of money on customization and hosting.  Self-hosting a Wordpress blog or website has become a mainstream solution for both, but for “do-it-your-selfers” there is still quite a learning curve. Everyone is talking about it, but its still not that easy. BUT, it just got a little bit easier!

Brian Gardner with Studiopress.com has been one of the masters of WordPress Theme designs for quite a while now. His designs are known for having “clean code” which in itself creates the optimum environment for having great search engine “readability”. He has once again created a new theme, only this time its specifically with the Agent or Broker in mind!

AgentPress has arrived to make it easier than ever to switch to a WordPress platform. Check Out the Demo to see for yourself! If you’ve been considering using Wordpress for your outside blog and need a clean, elegant design the AgentPress theme has amazing built-in features, is SEO optimized and allows you to combine a compelling platform to market your listings, your blog content all is one stunning package!

The other great thing is that Brian is constantly pushing the envelope to bring new features, more flexibility, and an even greater menu of options.

So if you are looking to make the jump form an old website platform, and step into your own self-hosted, SEO super-charged website, where widgets, bells, whistles, IDX searches and all that good stuff can be added and customized to bring you not only a website, but a blog as well. 2 in1..can’t beat that.

For more on the advantages of using Wordpress for real estate websites..this is good reading! If you have any other questions, about customization, or moving to WordPress, feel free to give me a call. (operators are standing by;-) )

Here are some demos to other StudioPress Real Estate Themes

The Agent Theme

The Genesis Theme Layout

P.S. This website was built and customized with the Agent Theme

When you sit down to decide if Social Media for your real estate business is really worth it, considering the ROI and your time investment, you have to consider your target market, and your sphere of influence. Who are they listening too? Things to think about! (ppssst..it’s FREE)

2010 is looking to be a fantastic year as a real estate virtual assistant. The beginning of the year is (or just before) is always a busy time to listen and consult with possible new clients and other real estate professionals seeking to make some real changes, try out a VA, or are just desperate for some help.

During that time its typical to hear many of the same questions, and some questions usually leads us down a path of conversation that is unfamiliar to many agents, that comes after “How many clients do I have?” and “What do I do for them?”

Answering that question can be hard  because every client has a slightly different business model, market & location, and needs. So the answers vary. That got me to thinking. How do you see a virtual assistant fitting into your business model?

I work with real estate Teams, Brokers, Top Producer’s, New Agents all with varying needs. So let’s break it down just a bit so you can see how a VA can be customized to fit your business model, and what to look for when interviewing VA’s.

Real Estate Teams: Virtual Assistance for real estate Teams is a VERY collaborative effort on everyone’s part. Communication and systems are an absolute must. There usually must always be a team manager that leads in the delegation or it should be broken down into areas of delegation for different members of the team. Calendars, planning, and conference calls are plenty. Your VA should be aware of how your team works together, and is not easily overwhelmed with working with different personalities and work styles. If learning technology is difficult for most everyone on the team, an in-office support team member might be a good first choice.

Broker Level: Communication and goal setting should be clear from Broker to Agents. Virtual Assistance at the Broker Level might mean seeking a VA with a Multi-VA Team, not a sole VA. However, a VA can be the center of your online and offline management, coordinating transactions, achieving your standards for marketing, and offer additional suite of virtual tools to aide in recruiting. A VA can also be available for any joint company branding, marketing and social media efforts. Once again processes & systems must tied and true to be the most cost effective, but a VA can help bring it all together in your office.

Experienced Agents: Experienced agents may not have the need to re-create the wheel with systems, many are in place, but streamlining, and advising on old, tired marketing practices and vendors is key.  Keeping on top of technology, implementation and becoming more efficient with online practices is key to partnering with a VA.

New Agents: Starting from scratch and getting off to a great start can be a challenge in the industry of real estate for a new agent. Building a brand that is identifiable, and individual & separate from your franchise  is key to building a business that will stand the test of time and carry you through the ups and downs of real estate. A VA can help you decide and expedite a plan for your investments into your marketing, websites, blogs and other necessities. They can help match your work-style to the social media that compliments you, and enhances your relationships online & off, builds your Sphere of Influence, and helps you manage and start your database.

Business Models can be further defined by niche models like Luxury Home Agents, and Foreclosure Agents for example.

As you can see, the needs can be broad for your business model. Knowing where to start adding in leverage, support and productivity does take some time and thought, but you’ll know when you have found the right match when your VA can help you customize and grow your real estate business model.

Happy New Year!

As I reflect on all that we have accomplished in 2009, I don’t want you to let the awesome blog content you wrote in 2009 sit in the blogosphere! Re-organize it, summarize it, and FLAUNT it on your website in the form of new pages of content to target and attract your ideal clients!

Not only will it refresh your website and give you more Google-Cred, you will be creating a library of sights, sounds and information for your potential business!

I am sure that this year your blogs have provided great content to your readers, but what’s happenning with your website..? Is it still just the same ol Home Page, About Me, Seller info, Buyer info, Listings etc?

Here are 3 ways to revitalize your content for your website to help you get started:

1. Re-organize your blogs into material for your “Ideal Client”.  Target the content to attract them at all stages of information gathering. Whether its First Time Home Buyers, Buyers or Sellers in your Farm, you can add a page or two that “speaks” to them, and direct them to other pages on your site.

Example: Attract buyers/sellers in/to a particular community by re-organizing community or event content. Use your videos, and photos to make it come alive.

2. Develop different  pages for each type of media you use. Since clients are different in the way they organize and collect their information, make it easy for them to find the information they are seeking in the media that speaks to them. Take your Photos, videos, podcasts, and webinars and put them into “Collections” or albums on your website. Tip: you can also take your newsletters and create down-loadable and viewable PDF’s. MyTechOpinion.com offered a great resource called Issu-Smartlook which allows a reader to open your documents from your website and see the pages in full color!

3. FLAUNT an on-line MEDIA Page, and have it ready for 2010! Did you speak at events, give any interviews in the newspaper or on TV? Travel to NAR, NYC Connect, or earn more certifications? Take those achievements and put them in the form of press releases, articles and create links to those events if you can. If you are an expert and growing and achieving don’t be afraid to show that side of yourself. Your ideal clients want to trust you, get to know you, and your achievements are a large part of it.

Re-Charge, Re-define and Re-Vitalize your hard work in 2009! Wishing you all the best for a prosperous 2010!

So I drove home from my second experience at RE Bar Camp in San Francisco with a bit of urgency..after experiencing some amazing sessions! When I walked out of Trulia Headquarters, I realized what I walked away with was not just “ideas” or “new technology” or “tips”..I walked away with some “in your face” implementation tactics that can be used NOW!

If you could take steps right now to increase your leads, increase conversion, streamline your website and your Social Media strategies, and actually track your ROI, I know you would feel the urgency I feel as well. So here goes: My brain dump from my experience from RE Bar Camp San Francisco.

Why Your Website is Failing..Creating a Website that Works

by Jim Marks of Virtual Results

After studying the statistics of what consumers are clicking on there are some clear standout strategies that you can take now on your website to give the consumer what they want. The basic concept that you all must be considering is the difference between Traffic Conversion vs. Branding.

If your website is all about you, then you are not giving consumers what they want. They don’t care about you, they don’t care how many designations you have and what they stand for. They Want LISTINGS! They want Information! According to statistics of what consumers click on the most, here are the Top 4 things to do on your website right now to increase traffic and conversions;

• LISTINGS- Your Home page biggest feature should be “FIND YOUR HOME” “call to action” with a basic MLS/IDX function right there. Don’t make consumers look for it, give it to them by framing it into your home page. (DON’T call it “Search the MLS“, as only 17% if consumers actually know what the MLS is”) You can have different levels of search functions. An example would be to have limited basic photos and details, before asking them to sign up or add their email.

• MARKET REPORTS- Let your consumers know how the local market is doing? What are the stats? Put this info in layman’s terms so that they understand what those stats mean to THEM. What is the information per neighborhood or development? They want to know what their neighbors house sold for and why?

• WHAT IS MY HOME WORTH? Another popular call to action is offering a CMA so that they can find out for free what their home is worth? Convert these leads by giving them something of value! A free Market Report, a Community Newsletter are some ideas. (ok I added that in…)

• Add YOUR BLOG TO YOUR WEBSITE- How many of you have a static website, and separate blog? That is SO 2006!!! Your Blog IS YOUR BRANDING! Remember how putting your dog on your home page was all the rage?? NO more! Your blog needs to be incorporated in your website, and it is there that you are free to share your voice, your personality, your photos..but remember to remain an authority on your community and balance your branding and flair with relevant information for your consumers! Even if your only blog is on ActiveRain, get it into your website!

Edutizing an Agent Population by Matt Dollinger

Learning to be a Local Expert does NOT just have to come from your experience or out of your head. It come from real life, in the moment information. And sometimes being the first to get that information out, makes you the front runner in being THE Authority in your market. So think about how you get that information and streamline the process so that your are getting relevant information for your consumers and your market. Some must have tools to have in your arsenal are:

• Use Google Reader: Grab your favorite RSS feeds from blogs, online newspapers, real estate outlets and craft your information to give the consumers what they are looking for.
• AGENT Metrics:
• OutsideIn.com
• MetroMix , YELP
  
• Local Photos, FLICKR
• Education.com, GreatSchools.net

Next, you must find out the correct delivery of this information for you target consumer. Do they hang out on Facebook? Do they respond to video media? Are they on Twitter? Are they Blog Followers? What is that they want the most?

You may need to do some experimenting to find this out, but here are some thoughts:

Have a 30 Day Facebook Campaign, a 30 Day Twitter Campaign etc. For 30 days track your statistics of how many people are clicking on your links, referring back to your website etc. Spend 30 minutes a day pushing the information out there and see where most of your hits come from. Then you will know what works and what doesn’t. Keep your 30 Day campaigns separate so you can track them accurately. But once you know, you can create an even better strategy for getting you information out there so they can devour it from their expert! (you can track your links with various link shorteners, like BUDURL.com and others.)

Ask yourself these questions on an ongoing basis:

What did I learn?
How was it received?
What medium is better in my market?
Was the topic valuable?
How could I make this more effective?

Implementation is sometimes the hardest thing in real estate! What many of you may feel you need is a start-up plan to help you start implementing the strategies that you learn along the way. As fast as things change in RE Tech and Web 2.0 we just can’t afford to sit and figure out HOW, when we just need to DO it!

This was just a taste of what I learned at RE Bar Camp SF..hopefully I can write more later, but I’m still wrapping my brain around it all!  It is an awesome event!

It was so great to finally meet IRL, ACTIVE Brad Andersohn, Gena Riede, Calie Waterhouse, Heather Elias, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Rocky Turner, Mike Mueller, Dale Chumbley, Kristal Kraft, Sandra Mathewson and see again all the friends from RE Bar Camp LA.

Special thanks to:

Andy Kaufman, Ginger Wilcox, Todd Carpenter, Brad Coy and Rudy Bachraty

It’s in the back of your mind, and you keep pushing it away, until it comes back louder than ever. “No, I can do it!” you say to yourself over and over again, month after month. But now you, like so many before you, have finally realized you CANT DO IT ALL BY YOURSELF!

This VA Guide will serve to assist you in your decision to add to your business…. that crucial step of adding in your leverage. Whether you decide on an on-site assistant, or a Virtual Assistant, it’s best to consider everything about you, your business, and its needs to make the best choice!

It’s no secret that with the growing amount of competition, technology and administrative overload, going it alone can have its disadvantages. Once the decision has been made to arrange for some assistance, many agents are turning to Virtual Assistants as a perfect middle of the road option between hiring a full time,on-site assistant or going it alone. But in what may ultimately be a wonderful addition to your business, there are some things to know and consider before working with a Professional VA.

What is a VA?

* There are a variety of definitions of VAs, defining who we are and what we do. I’m sure many of you already know~but for those who don’t, this is it, in a nutshell:A Professional VA is a micro-business owner who provides administrative & personal support to its clients in long-term, deeply collaborative partnerships. The highest and the best of this profession base their role as a VA as just that…a partnership. Our services are provided with the desire to support our clients across the board…not with just one specific function or task, no matter ongoing that might be.

* Most VAs come with a vast array of experience in the corporate world, or in real estate itself. We have come to our own businesses so that we may reclaim our lives, control our own destinies, and use our talent and skills to support clients that we hand pick ourselves. Unlike corporate positions, there are few constraints on VAs who own their own businesses. You’ll finds that we are pro-active, rather than just waiting for you to hand us our task list.

* Professional VAs are not employees. You don’t “hire” a VA, you “work with” a VA. There is no need to provide space, equipment, a guarantee of hours or benefits. You don’t have to pay for our Internet surfing, Active Rain blog time, our coffee breaks or errands. We strive to be hassle free…one check, once a month! How simple is that?

* Professional VAs bill at rates of $30+ per hour. The more professional, industry specific education a VA has, experience working with virtual clients, the more she/he can make things happen with his/her clients, the higher the fee will be. This may seem like a lot, but when you think about the value of your own time, and what you could accomplish with more of it…it starts to look like a deal!

* Many VAs work on a retainer agreement. They block a certain number of hours per month to be used specifically for that client. The client pays the monthly fee ( # of hours by $per hour = retainer fee) at the beginning of the month. Unused hours do not roll over to the next month. Expenses like postage, delivery of docs, and vendor accounts are additional. The per hour rate is usually a discounted rate of %10 or so in recognition of the client’s willingness to commit to a block of time with the retainer. The retainer comes with a higher degree of commitment to the partnership-for both people. But for those not ready to make a full commitment, per hour and per project agreements are usually available.

* There are some people who probably shouldn’t consider working with a VA. If you are controlling, need to micro-manage, have trust issues, aren’t on line, can’t understand how or why this would work, live in the urgent, procrastinate, rush to deadline, aren’t organized, want someone at your beck and call, have a huge ego and can’t work in partnership with others, don’t understand the power created in a relationship with a fantastic assistant, aren’t open to learning new ways of working and communicating, or if you work in a high-pressure field where things run you instead of the other way around, you probably need an in-person employee, not a VA.

* Professional VAs invest heavily in themselves and their businesses, all for the benefit of their clients. Professional VAs are life-long learners. They are curious, open, receptive to new ideas, and they take the time to really hone their craft. Never move into a relationship with a VA who isn’t taking steps to better him/her.

A word of caution: You must do due diligence in your finding, interviewing and hiring of a VA. Collect references, ask about their work load, and how they handle your work.(ex: do they do it themselves, or do they sub-contract it out to another VA.

Copyright 2009 | Laura Monroe, Founder | Creative Agent Solutions.com

OK, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am on a quest to learn more about all of these video trends that are taking off in real estate, because frankly I only see it becoming more and more valuable to our businesses. As a real estate virtual assistant, I’m always trying to keep myself educated so that I’m trained to provide the best assistance when new trends are arriving on our doorstep, so that we can assist agents, and free up their time.

The video file formats can be a bit daunting, as they are all different. We have video from our cell phones, digital cameras, flip-videos, iMovies, webinars, downloaded from and to Youtube, our blogs etc, iPods, iPhones, and other video devices. To be able to use these files on the platforms that are most useful to our businesses, there will come a time when one format needs to be converted to another, especially MPEG 4.

Well, I stumbled upon a program that will allow even video newbies to convert almost any video format to another, and its called ANY VIDEO CONVERTER…great name huh?

To quote their website:

Any Video Converter (for PC) features include:

* User-friendly interface that is easy to use.
* Converts all video formats to Apple iPod Video, Sony PSP and more
* Batch convert any video formats including avi, wmv, asf, mpg, mp4, etc.
* Support DivX and Xvid avi format as importing and exporting video
* Support default video/audio settings or user customized parameters for video and audio.
* Has the option to preview the video in real-time before conversion .
* World’s fastest video conversion speed with stunning video and audio quality.
* Supports adjust many video/audio options for MP4 files. For example, video/audio sample rate, bit rate, video size…

I’m still trying to wrap my brain around most of this, but this FREE program is a good place to start, and is a good tool to bookmark for future reference…as you may need it:)

Oh, yes…and for the MAC users out there(you know who you are;)…here ya go: There is an AVC for MAC!

Laura Monroe | Real Estate Virtual Assistant | Copyright 2008