The BVAS Connection» Business

What is the ROI of Pinterest?

Megan E. Barber — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:17:42 +0000

Facepalm - Image via Wikipedia

“How do I leverage Pinterest for my real estate business?”

The title of this post, as well as the above question is starting to get asked a lot around the real estate marketing circles and social networks I follow. And I must tell you, it makes me cringe to hear it. Many agents are joining this relatively new network, looking increase their marketing reach and hoping it’s the holy grail of lead generation. Frankly I think they are missing the point and purpose of Pinterest, and may be sorely disappointed in the lack of “ROI”.

Just what is Pinterest, some of you may you be asking? Pinterest is an new-ish social network where users can Pin images, putting together a visual collection of things they love, their interests and inspiration, etc., on pin boards users create in their accounts. These pin boards can be related to anything from food to crafts, fashion to home decor. The possibilities are endless.

Personally, I LOVE Pinterest. For me it is a great source of creative inspiration, craft and DIY project ideas, home decor ideas, recipe ideas, and a place that I can daydream by pining images of my dream home or dream vacation spots. For me Pinterest is fun and and inspirational.

Where I believe that people are really going wrong, especially those that want to “leverage Pinterest for their business,” is that marketing and self promotion is not in the spirit of what Pinterest was designed for. Just simply look at #3 on their list of the Pinterest etiquette guidelines:

Avoid Self Promotion

Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.

When embarking on any new social networks, Pinterest or otherwise, my advice is to first explore it and really observe. Get an idea of what this community really is about. Observe how other users are utilizing the network. Then go have fun with it. On Pinterest, you may find that you can create new connections and meet like minded people you never knew before. But don’t have high expectations that it will be a magical source of lead generation.

If you are looking into to Pinterest purely as a way to promote yourselves, your listings and generate your business, then frankly I think you should move along. Pinterest is not exactly the place for you, and I think you will find very little ROI, if that is your main goal. Your time may be best spent elsewhere.

There are certainly ways to use Pinterest and relate it to your real estate business, and you can do so without shameless self promotion. Coming up in a follow-up post, I will show you come creative ways to use Pinterest as it relates to real estate, and show you some examples of those in the real estate industry who are doing it right. Stay tuned!

And if you want to follow me on Pinterest, find me here. You will see that I am definitely not all business all the time.

The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Pinterest for Marketing (hubspot.com)
What Is Pinterest and Why Is Everyone Talking About It? (accesscomptech.wordpress.com)

Megan E. Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 10 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan and her team Virtual Assistants provide top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. Megan E Barber is also the creator and author of The BVAS Connection and VA Mommy.

Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent

Megan E. Barber — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:30:53 +0000

via activerain.com

What separates Rich Real Estate Agents from the Poor Real Estate Agents? Check out this awesome infographic and survey from Active Rain. Lots of striking information in this, definitely worth checking out.

Posted via email from megbarberva’s posterous

11 Weeks Left in 2011? Let’s Get Ready for 2012 NOW!

Megan E. Barber — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:05:32 +0000

Believe it or not, there are only 11 weeks left in 2011! We are firmly in the 4th quarter and have you examined your progress on your 2011 business plan? Are you flying blind without one? Well whatever your answer, there is no time to waste. The time to implement is now if you want 2012 to get off to a great start.

Some say that if you start your business January 1st 2012, you are already behind. Real estate is a lag industry and things can take 60-90 days of implementation to see any results. So if you don’t start until January, you may not see any results for several months (especially in this slow economy).

The best marketing advice I’ve ever received is to ramp up your marketing efforts and activities in the 4th quarter so you can see your results once the new year hits and get it off to a fabulous start. If you wait too long, you may find it harder to reach your business or revenue goals because you were waiting for leads to convert and get those marketing results to appear. Market for next year starting NOW!

Starting now, there are probably a few things you can be doing differently, or at least get started on, that can get your 2012 started off right. For example, you can:

Start a blog or dust off that blog you have been neglecting and post regularly (at least 2-3 times a week to start)
Give your website a makeover and make sure the focus is on the consumer, and not what a great REALTOR you are.
Create or find deliverables that your prospects would actually want to sign up for and get those leads starting to come into your pipeline
Increase your visibility on Facebook and make a business pages focusing on the neighborhoods and communities you serve.
Start up on Twitter and be visible, engage, and share with your followers.
Start using video! Promote your properties, your expertise, and your market area
Be sure to keep your social media activities ongoing and never let anything get stale or make people wonder if you are still in business.

It is the perfect time to examine your current business plan (if you have one) refine it, in start implementing NOW so you can have a fabulous 2012. So take some action! I want you to start it off with a bang!

Have some marketing ideas you can implement now to get next year off to a great start? I would love to hear them! Please leave me a comment below!

Online Biz Insiders Podcast – Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Megan E Barber

Megan E. Barber — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:02:17 +0000

The Online Biz Insiders Podcast

via onlinebizinsiders.com

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the creators of Online Biz Insiders, Carla Wilson and Mary Motz, for their potcast. It was much fun, and we talked about the tasks that we typically handle for REALTORS, the value of our services, and much more. Click on the link above and check it out!

Be sure to check out all the other episodes of their fabulous Online Biz Insiders podcast as well, where you will find great tips and tools for online marketing, productivity and more!

Posted via email from megbarberva’s posterous

Have You Updated Your About Page Lately

Megan E. Barber — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:45:38 +0000

Take a look at the “About Me” page on your website. Have you not updated your bio within the last several years on there? Or worse, do you have canned content from your template website provider? Or worse yet, you have the phrase “This is where you put in information about yourself” in that spot?

The About page on any given website is about the first or second place a visitor clicks on when visiting a new site (on a real estate site, it’s probably 2nd to property searches). People want to know the person or people that are behind the business and what that business is really about. It is important to show who you are and still give people a reason to stay on your site and want more from you.

I recently decided to take a new approach to my own About page on my website. Before, my page was just like any professional profile or resume, stating my certifications, my past work experience and so on. It was a snooze fest. And I really didn’t think it conveyed who I was or represented me authentically. So I changed it up, re-wrote it in my own voice and added some more personal information about me outside of my business. I still kept at the end bullet points with my professional certifications and such, but now I gave a little more insight to the REAL me.

Now, I’m not saying that my new about page is the most compelling thing ever written on the planet. But I feel it is more authentic. I wrote it in my own voice, telling more of the story on how I got to be in the business I’m in, and showing the REAL person behind the business (who is a busy mommy as well as a wine lover).

Now I have mentioned before, that real estate consumers don’t really care about the agent at first, and that mostly is true. They mostly want property info and market conditions. But once they ARE ready to care about the agent they want to use, you’re about page can help to convince them that YOU are the one they can be comfortable working with.

About pages don’t have to be boring and resume like. Check out this blog with 12 of the best about pages from around the web. You can also check out this site About.me and create your own profile on there as well as get your creative wheels turning. You can check out my own About.me page here with a slightly shortened version of my bio.

I recommend you examine your own About page right now. Does it authentically represent you? Does it say who you are and give people a reason to stay and find out more. Does it tell of all of your professional experience and most updated certifications? Does it have an updated photo of you, or glamor shot of you from 25 years ago? Go look at it, re-work it and make sure it makes a great first impression.

Have a great About.me page or an about page on your site to be proud of? Leave me a comment and share it below!

2011 Is Bringing Some Changes – Don’t Miss Out!

Megan E. Barber — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:25:23 +0000

Ho Ho Ho and Happy Holidays from the Real Estate Virtual Assistant team at BVAS! 2011 is a few weeks away and will be bringing in some changes here at BVAS, including new rates. Here’s my video with a little announcement for those thinking about partnering with Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions in the near future…

New higher 2011 rates will be effective after January 15th. S new clients thinking of signing on with our services and want to get in on the current 2010 rates, you have until January 15, 2011 to sign on. This applies to all services including our Retainer plans and Pre-paid Blocks.*

Rate increase happens at midnight on January 16th so don’t miss out!!!

**Current clients will not face a rate increase at this time. You will be grandfathered in at you current rates.

My New Business Cards

Megan E. Barber — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:13:09 +0000

I’m a happy Real Estate Virtual Assistant. My new business cards arrived last week and I decided to snap a picture and show them off. Here’s a picture of the front and back. Notice anything interesting?

Success Simplified – The FIX or Fire It Method

Megan E. Barber — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:08:03 +0000

via agentgenius.com

Excellent post coming straight out of Agent Genius that you must check out. Re-evaluate what is going on in your business model, your life, etc, then Fix it or Fire it and move on! AG rocks!

Posted via web from megbarberva’s posterous

12 Days of Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving

Megan E. Barber — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:11:26 +0000

Today is day 12, the final day of my 12 Days of Thanks leading up to Thanksgiving. I’ve enjoyed putting out my statements of gratitude these 12 days. Ad as I bring this one series to a close, I won’t necessarily be stopping here. But thank you for letting me give you a glimpse of my real life and the real things that make me happy and thankful. See, I’m not all business all the time. Gratitude is the Attitude!

Today I am thankful for:

My God.
The togetherness and happiness we feel when we gather together on this day with our friends, family and dear loved ones.
For my husband, son, and entire family who bring me so much happiness. I could have no possessions at all and still be happy with just their mere presence in my life.

“He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart.”
-J.A. Shedd

Thanksgiving!

12 Days of Thanks – Day 8 and 9

Megan E. Barber — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:12:53 +0000

Image by kirikiri via Flickr

So yesterday ended up being a very busy Sunday, so my Days of Thanks slipped to the back of my mind. But I am making up for it today with extra. The sun may not be shining, but I am feeling extra sunny today. So on to my 12 Days of Thanks leading up to Thanksgiving, Days 8 and 9. Gratitude is the Attitude!