Go With Your Best Option - Sleepless in Sturbridge

Blogging For Business Networking Class - Week 2

Week 2 we had a great turnout in class.  We had more people show up that weren't able to make it last week.  This week we focused on becoming a RainMaker & How To Shoot Up The Search Engines.

What Is A RainMaker?

• A Blogger with an Outside Blog on ActiveRain
• Blogs are open to the public and not just members
• Get the full benefits of "Google Juice" as we like to call it

What Happens To RainMakers?

• More Exposure with Outside Blogs
• Google Juice - Very important to find consumers, leads & prospects
• Domain Name Branding - Free domain with subscription
• Multiple templates and styles to format your Outside Blog
• Undoubtedly 100 times more business from blogging

Power of Branding YOU versus Branding Your Company

• Consumers hire a person, not a brand
• Brand your strengths & services (they are not the same company wide)
• Not every 2 professionals are the same - emphasize this to your advantage
• People change companies, don't be stuck reinventing yourself if this happens to you

Tips For Shooting Up The Search Engines

• Block time each week to consistently blog
• Make an outline of the week's blog topics in advance when possible
• Keep your eyes open for useful information to share with your audience
• Read other blogs and magazines with related articles
• Use clearly identifiable keywords throughout your blog - 2-4% keyword density is the magic number
• Make use of your tags
• Fill out the name & descriptions for your photos
• Promote your blog on other websites
• Write about hyper-local content
• Make your posts very detailed to what you're writing about and try not to be too broad

ActiveRain Points:

225 Points Per Blog (Max. 10 per week)

25 Points Per Comment on other blogs (Max. 10 per day)

25 Points Per Re-blog

100 Points for Logging In

Points for Contests

Points for Inviting Members

NEXT CLASS:  Tuesday, July 6 @ 9:00AM TOPIC:  Adding Style to Your Blog Adding Great Images Embedding Video Adding Style & Color to Your Blog

 

 

 

Watch My Popular Video Blogs:

  

2012 New Year's Goals

Social Media Video Testimonial For Kathleen Cooper

Perception Is Everything - Best Practices 

 

            Kathleen Cooper Best Option *** RE/MAX Professional Associates *** LICENSED IN MA!

THIS BLOG WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Kathleen Cooper RE/MAX Professional Associates  YOUR Social Media Girl Providing Social Media Training & Coaching - Click the picture to Follow My Fan Page & Learn More About How I Can Help You Grow! Phone: 508-444-2673 Email:  BestOptionTeam@Gmail.com

 

 

 

 

      

 Blogging For Business Networking Class - Week 1

Week 1 of our Blogging For Business Networking Class was a success!  We had a great turnout of interested bloggers and newbies looking to learn more.  We had Keller Williams agents, Coldwell Banker agents, RE/MAX agents and agents from some of the independent offices around.  We had people from several other industries as well.

Week 1 we focused on where to start with blogging.  I went over the 3 most popular places to blog and focused on my favorite - ActiveRain.  ActiveRain is a great place to blog for people in the real estate industry because it is simple, established and Google loves them.  I've been blogging on ActiveRain since January 2007 and I can't say enough good about my experiences here in the Rain.

I've tried WordPress and Blogger, but nothing keeps me coming back for more like ActiveRain.  Whether you're simple like me where you'll find the WYSIWYG very helpful in writing your blog posts or you're advanced and can understand how to write and customize your blogs in HTML, AR is for you. 

Yesterday we went over the basic necessities for any blog:

• Catchy Title - Something that best describes what you're blogging about
• Content - Good content with key words and phrases spread throughout
• Tags - Keywords or search phrases that will help your blog be found by people searching on Google
• Links - You want to have links that will bring readers to your website or Facebook fan page so they can engage with you further

We also talked about what to put into your ActiveRain Profile:

• Detailed biography with your work experience
• All Contact Info - Email, Websites, Phone, Office Address, Twitter and Facebook pages
• Links and/or pictures of your listings or sold properties
• Specialties & Designations
• Client Testimonials

Market Stats

Home Staging

Short Sales

Foreclosure Market

New Construction
 Community Events/Local Businesses

I'm very proud of the class participants that are already taking the first steps into developing their blogs.  I look forward to working with you as you progress and look forward to all of us helping each other grow.

Next week's class is Becoming a Rainmaker & How to Shoot Up the Search Engines.

Please join us for the next 5 weeks in Sturbridge.  We are meeting from 9AM-10AM Tuesday mornings at 135 Main Street.  Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

Watch My Popular Video Blogs:

  

2012 New Year's Goals

Social Media Video Testimonial For Kathleen Cooper

Perception Is Everything - Best Practices 

 

            Kathleen Cooper Best Option *** RE/MAX Professional Associates *** LICENSED IN MA!

THIS BLOG WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Kathleen Cooper RE/MAX Professional Associates  YOUR Social Media Girl Providing Social Media Training & Coaching - Click the picture to Follow My Fan Page & Learn More About How I Can Help You Grow! Phone: 508-444-2673 Email:  BestOptionTeam@Gmail.com

 

 

 

 

      

 Blogging - The Future is Here, Why Aren't You Blogging Yet?

I'm very excited about the renewed energy about blogging I saw this week at a Tom Ferry workshop.  It's been around for years, but I've always said that it's not as popular here in my market area.  When I talk to most agents about it, they complain they don't have time and don't know how to write.

DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE?!

How do you get clients, list & market properties and advertise yourself if you can't even write?!  That's just a really BAD excuse for not taking the time to do one of the most rewarding and fundamental tasks for staying in the real estate business.  Practice makes perfect and you have to start somewhere.  My first blogs are pretty funny to go back and read now.  I can't believe how much I've grown.

DON'T HAVE TIME?!

Make the time!  Put it on your schedules weekly and then build up to 2-3 times per week.  Blogging is prospecting!  It is lead generating!  Blogging is putting yourself all over the web where consumers can find you, read your valuable information and relate to you.  Blogging helps you build rapport with a wide range of readers that are looking for your help buying, selling and financing properties. 

SO ARE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR PROSPECTING? 

If you don't have time for prospecting, I think you should get out of the real estate business because you're not going to live off a few referrals.  Tom Ferry told us we should have 9 sources for leads.  Blogging should be at the top of the list of sources for you.  Find what you're passionate about, what you're the expert of and write about it! 

I CHALLENGE YOU TO GET BLOGGING!

Just DO IT!  Let loose a bit and set some time aside this week to write a blog.  Write about a favorite local restaurant, a new neighborhood or some market stats.  Write about anything under the sun and remember to make it YOU.  Put your personality into your blogs.  Don't be stuffy and fake, people are reading your blog to relate to you and the better you are at communicating with an audience, the more readers you will attract.

If you are in the Sturbridge area, we are going to be starting a blogging workshop next week.  Find me on Facebook and send me a message if you'd like to participate.  I will send you the info. 

 

 

 

Watch My Popular Video Blogs:

  

2012 New Year's Goals

Social Media Video Testimonial For Kathleen Cooper

Perception Is Everything - Best Practices 

 

            Kathleen Cooper Best Option *** RE/MAX Professional Associates *** LICENSED IN MA!

THIS BLOG WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Kathleen Cooper RE/MAX Professional Associates  YOUR Social Media Girl Providing Social Media Training & Coaching - Click the picture to Follow My Fan Page & Learn More About How I Can Help You Grow! Phone: 508-444-2673 Email:  BestOptionTeam@Gmail.com

 

 

 

 

      

What does it take to make a blog?  Is it the writing?  Is it the colorful photos?  What about readers and comments?  Lately I have been reading a lot of blogs and keeping up with my own blog pretty actively.  I've noticed a lot of agents still DON'T blog and a lot that do don't know how to blog. I see the same posts over and over, no flavor, no style. 

What are you blogging for?  Read What Do You Blog For? to see reasons why I blog.  When you're blogging, are you looking for a marriage or a one night stand?  Sure, consumers are interested in reading your blog about the local market report, that's very valuable information.  But if that is all you are sharing, what reason do they have to stay?  They will get the information they need from that one post and move on.  On the other hand, adding a good balance of fun posts, informative posts and posts about local events and neighborhoods can help you cultivate the relationship.  You need to harvest the relationship with your readers into a long term relationship.  You want them coming to your blog to learn about what to do with the family on the weekend, when a good time to buy or sell a house is and to see your new listings.  Your blog is your platform, you use it to set the stage for your business and your personality.  Give your blog some style.  I've been seeing some really great headers on blogs and people have been getting creative with their signatures adding links to Twitter, Facebook and their websites making cool looking buttons and graphics. 

Really think about what you're posting and what you are posting it for.  Turn those one night stands into a beautiful marriage for life!

 

 

 

Watch My Popular Video Blogs:

  

2012 New Year's Goals

Social Media Video Testimonial For Kathleen Cooper

Perception Is Everything - Best Practices 

 

            Kathleen Cooper Best Option *** RE/MAX Professional Associates *** LICENSED IN MA!

THIS BLOG WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Kathleen Cooper RE/MAX Professional Associates  YOUR Social Media Girl Providing Social Media Training & Coaching - Click the picture to Follow My Fan Page & Learn More About How I Can Help You Grow! Phone: 508-444-2673 Email:  BestOptionTeam@Gmail.com