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Photo Content is King Now

July 5, 2012 By

camera1 300x199 Photo Content is King NowPhotos are the kings of web content now.  I’m not just talking about the importance of having photos on your listings. I am talking about the skyrocketing popularity of visual based social networks like Pinterest and Instagram and how much more attention getting and engaging images are.

There has been an explosion of photo sharing on the web. You may have heard , “Facebook is the Photo Economy“.  More than 90 billion photos have been uploaded since Facebook launched. 6 billion pictures  are being uploaded monthly. I am sure that you have noticed in your news feeds that a large chunk of the content you see are images now. So it may come to you as no surprise that photos tend to grab more attention in your news feeds. The engagement rate on photos versus status updates is about 2:1. What does that mean? People are more likely to “like” and comment on photos as opposed to status updates.

But it is not just Facebook where images are important. The visually based social network, Pinterest (which I’ve talked a lot about recently) continues to soar in popularity. People are using it to curate information they like, that inspire them, and brands have found a way connect with customers in an authentic way. In the first quarter of 2012, Pinterest had 11.7 unique visitors. This image reliant social network is a force not to be ignored. And of course, there are some great ways to make good use of it and apply to your business.

Now is a good time to seriously consider infusing your marketing with more visual content. This is especially great if you struggle with coming up with new thing to write about for your real estate blog. These images can then be easily be shared across social networks and can be a potential traffic driver.

Images have a way of communicating ideas, emotions and more, in ways that words sometimes cannot. They capture more attention and have a higher engagement factor on your social networks. Examine ways to improve your use of images on your website and social media. Then get involved with visually based social networks like Pinterest and Instagram. This “photo economy” is about more than just your listing photos.

What are your favorite ways to use images in your marketing? Are you an avid Pinterest or Instagram user?  Let us know in the comments below! We would love to hear about it.

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Photo Content is King Now
Photo Content is King NowMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Facebook, Photos, Real Estate Technology, Recent Posts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pinterest For Real Estate – Some Pinterest Basics For the Beginners

May 18, 2012 By

PFRE PinterestBasics copy Pinterest For Real Estate Some Pinterest Basics For the BeginnersLately you cannot seem to go anywhere without people talking about Pinterest, how fun it is and how awesome it is for business. I’ve touched on the subject on using Pinterest for real estate a few times already. In previous posts, I talked about having the right expectation of it for your business (and what not to do), and gave some examples of how to use Pinterest to tie into your real estate business. I realized that some of my readers are still newbies, so today I am talking the basics.

First, Why Pinterest Matters?

Pinterest has become the fastest growing social network as of late. According to Compete, unique visitors jumped 155% from December 2011 to January 2012. Mashable reported recently that Pinterest is now the #3 ranked social network in the US. The point is, it gets HUGE traffic, and chances are there are many of your potential clients that use it regularly. Can you use it for marketing? You can, but as I pointed out before, it is important to do it authentically and in a smart way.

Another reason Pinterest matters? The potential to drive traffic back to your sites and blogs. I will delve into this more in an upcoming post, but Pinterest can potential have a huge impact in the incoming traffic to your site/blog if you post interesting and relevant images sourced from your own site. More to come on that later.

Who Uses Pinterest?

According to stats analysis sites such as Alexa and Infographic, Pinterest has about a  70% female user base.  This group also reveals a higher than average percentage of college-educated users, with most being between 25-34 years of age. Certainly this is a growing sector of the homebuying world as well.

Basic Pinterest Lingo

Pin: An image posted  to Pinterest

Pinboard: A themed collection of pins

Repin: Reposting someone else’s pin

Grab The “Pin It” Button for Your Browser

One fabulous goodie that Pinterest provides is a button for your browsers bookmark bar. Once installed on your browser, you can then Pin images on any website you are browsing and add it to one of your pinboards. It is quite convenient and makes pinning easy. Go find it HERE.

Still Need An Invite?

Pinterest is still running on an invite only system. You can go to the site and fill in your info to request an invite.  If you want to get in on the Pinterest fun sooner, have a current Pinterest user to send you an invite (like me).

So those are some basics. As you can tell, this is one of my favorite topics to talk about. Coming up next in future posts, I’ll be talking about the traffic driving force of Pinterest, some Pinterest etiquette, and ways to build your following.

follow me on pinterest button Pinterest For Real Estate Some Pinterest Basics For the Beginners

Pinterest For Real Estate Some Pinterest Basics For the Beginners
Pinterest For Real Estate Some Pinterest Basics For the BeginnersMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Pinterest, Recent Posts, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Connecting Pinterest To Your Real Estate Business

February 7, 2012 By

pinterest logo Connecting Pinterest To Your Real Estate BusinessPinterest is a fun new social network and a great visual diversion for most of it’s users. Now agents are trying to figure out a way to use Pinterest for real estate. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Pinterest is not a tool for self promotion or a magic lead generating solution. That being said, there are ways you can creatively use Pinterest in relation to  your real estate business, to make new connections and even help with link building.

Before I launch into the various ways to use Pinterest for your RE biz, please heed this following warning… Please for the love of all things holy, DO NOT use Pinterest onlyas a vehicle to just post images of your listings to promote them. I’m serious. People do not go to Pinterest to search for real estate.

Moving on, here are a few ways you can relate the Pinterest social network to your business.

1. Showcase Your Community and Neighborhoods

Connecting Pinterest To Your Real Estate Business

Use lifestyle marketing and build your “trusted advisor” status by showing that you know you local community and neighborhoods well. Just like you can use video marketing to show off the great neighborhoods and area amenities, you can create pin boards on your Pinterest account to do the same. Curate pin boards with images of the neighborhood parks, city views, local landmarks, and the local restaurants and hotspots. Showcase what is great about the communities you work in the most and the lifestyle that people live there. It is a great way to show prospective buyers, connect to people in the community, and connect to people who interested in that area. You can do this for relocating buyers she meet with. When initially meeting with them, pull out your iPad (or laptop) and show them a collection of pin boards of the various neighborhoods that may suit their lifestyle or that they are considering. Again, it builds your status as a local area expert.

2. Home Decor,  Dream Homes, & Landscaping

One thing I like to do on Pinterest is search for home decor ideas or features I want in the home of my dreams. You are in the business of selling homes, so why not create pin boards related to all things home decor or showcase photos of certain spaces? For example, I have made a pin boards consisting of Dream Kitchens, Dreamy Bedrooms, Dream Baths, and Outdoor spaces. It is a fun thing for me to put together and collect images what I want in my dream home. So again, because it relates to homes so it can relate to your real estate business. One agent I saw had gone a step further and encouraged their buyers to create pin boards of the things they wanted in their ideal home to help aid in the home search process. A great way to connect this social network to your real estate business.

Dream Kitchens1 Connecting Pinterest To Your Real Estate Business

3. Feature Interesting Architecture
Another real estate related category that you can create pin boards for would be images of interesting architecture. Do it in combination of #1 and feature architecture that might be unique to the areas or neighborhoods you work in. Do you serve a market area with numerous victorian style or other historical homes? Show off their unique exteriors and more. Live in a funky city neighborhood with an eclectic mix of old and new architecture? Show off those features. You get the idea.
4. Feature Your Interests, Likes & Hobbies

You are more than just a Real Estate salesperson. You are not just a real estate robot. You have hobbies, interestes, and generally have a life outside of your work. So use Pinterest to display that. If your alter ego is a chef or you just love to cook, make pin boards full of your favorite recipes or ones that you want to try.  If you’re a crafting addict like me, create pin boards with your own projects, or find great DIY & craft ideas you want to try yourself. Have fun and make things that reflect you. Just because you’re in the real estate business, there is no need to make Pinterest all about real estate (and it is NOT the place for self promotion anyways… have I mentioned that before?). Doing this can help you connect and meet others on this network who have similar likes and hobbies.

Who’s doing it right?

There are ways to tie this social network into your real estate business, and here is a collection of those in the industry that are doing it right on Pinterest and I generally like following:

Do you have a more ideas on creative things you can do with Pinterest, or are you someone who is doing Pinterest right? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Connecting Pinterest To Your Real Estate Business
Connecting Pinterest To Your Real Estate BusinessMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Pinterest, Recent Posts, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What is the ROI of Pinterest?

February 1, 2012 By
300px Facepalm What is the ROI of Pinterest?

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 has been a place I found 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 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.

PinterestHomeDaydreams 300x177 What is the ROI of Pinterest?

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.

Update: In March 2012, Pinterest has since changed their terms and etiquette and removed the reference to self promotion. So it appears that self promotion is fair game, but my point still stands that you should not use Pinterest purely for the purpose of marketing your business. It is in-authentic and people will generally ignore or unfollow you. 

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What is the ROI of Pinterest?
What is the ROI of Pinterest?Megan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Misc., Online Marketing, Recent Posts, Social Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent

November 11, 2011 By
media httpactiverainc qguJq.jpg.scaled500 Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent
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

Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent
Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate AgentMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Direct Marketing, Facebook, Misc., Online Marketing, Real Estate - General, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate News, Real Estate Technology, Recent Posts, Twitter, Websites Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Power of Information – New video from RISMedia

March 28, 2011 By

RISMedia just released this fantastic new video today about the impact of social media and mobile internet on the future of real estate. It is evident that they worked hard on this.  This video has some good stuff to get you thinking in case you are on the fence.

This is a great video that illustrates what is coming in the future. But I don’t  think social media is THE magic bullet. I have a post upcoming that talks about this more, so stay tuned!

Let me know your thoughts on the video. Leave me a comment below!

The Power of Information New video from RISMedia
The Power of Information New video from RISMediaMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Facebook, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Technology, Recommended Reading, Social Networking, Twitter, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Funny Real Estate Video – Old Spice Parody

March 23, 2011 By

Real estate videos don’t have to be boring. In my search of some entertainment in the real estate world, I have seen that there are a lot of Old Spice parodies popping up lately.  But this one has to be my favorite:

My favorite part: “I have balloons tied to my ankles.”  Well done Landmark Realty.

You can view a few more real estate related Old Spice parody videos at the Agency Logic blog here.

Have you tried your hand at comedy in your videos? Found any recent real estate videos that have made you laugh lately? Leave me a comment below and let me know about them.

Funny Real Estate Video Old Spice Parody
Funny Real Estate Video Old Spice ParodyMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Humor, Online Marketing, Recent Posts, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Have You Updated Your About Page Lately

March 22, 2011 By

aboutme 300x160 Have You Updated Your About Page LatelyTake 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!

Have You Updated Your About Page Lately
Have You Updated Your About Page LatelyMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Online Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Recent Posts, Virtual Assistant, Websites Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy 5th Birthday Twitter – 5 Things You Should Be Doing on Twitter

March 21, 2011 By

5candles1 300x261 Happy 5th Birthday Twitter 5 Things You Should Be Doing on TwitterToday is Twitter’s 5th birthday! I am an obvious lover of Twitter. I have been using it for over 3 years , or 3 years, 120 days and some change to be exact. It’s been fascinating to watch over these years how it has transformed the cultural landscape and how it has become the major source for breaking news on events and disaster updates.

I love it and have found it to be a source for business and a great place to market to potential clients. But I do see that Twitter is not for everyone. Many real estate pros still ask, why should they bother with Twitter.  Well in the spirit of Twitter’s 5th Birthday, here are 5 ways you should use twitter.

5 Things You Should Be Doing on Twitter

  1. Use Twitter to listen and interact to your clients and your sphere of influence. You can monitor what is going on in their lives, see what anyone is saying about you, and help them get to know the real you.
  2. Make sure your tweets are something relevant and newsworthy. Nobody much cares about what you’re having for breakfast. So tell them about a deal you just closed, a fabulous new home that listed, or breaking news in your neighborhood.
  3. Drive traffic to your blog and website with Twitter. Just wrote a great post about a hot button real estate issue or new listing? Post the link on Twitter, or better yet, have your most recent blog post get populated on your Twitter feed automatically through apps suck as HootSuite and TwitterFeed.
    80px Twitschervogel01 derived from twitter t.svg Happy 5th Birthday Twitter 5 Things You Should Be Doing on Twitter

    Image via Wikipedia

  4. Make good use of Twitter lists, to help segment and organize those you are following on Twitter.
  5. Use an app that will make your tweeting life easier. My all-time favorite that I use is HootSuite. You can schedule tweets, organize your twitter streams by lists into different columns, as well as analytics and tracking of links you broadcast. Not only that but you can use HootSuite to manage multiple networks. TweetDeck is another app that has similar capabilites, but not browser based.
Happy 5th Birthday Twitter 5 Things You Should Be Doing on Twitter
Happy 5th Birthday Twitter 5 Things You Should Be Doing on TwitterMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Direct Marketing, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tips For Creating Fantastic Real Estate Videos

March 10, 2011 By

video 300x199 Tips For Creating Fantastic Real Estate VideosThis year I am on a mission to help REALTORS use video, and use it effectively to build their business. By now, you’ve seen many agents all over the web taking matters into their own hands and creating videos for their real estate marketing. Though some will say that it should be left to the video pros to use video successfully, agents are fully able to do it themselves with the right tools and tricks in place.

Here are some tips and best practices for video success.

  • Make sure you have all the right tools to get you started in video. Check out my last post on that subject.
  • Film in a  a location with good lighting, be sure that the background is not too distracting, and try to be in a place with few off-camera noises or interruptions.
  • If you plan on being in front of the camera for your videos, practice, practice, practice. Do lots of takes and practice being on camera to help you be more comfortable and natural while being filmed.
  • Practice your filming movements with camera in hand. Don’t use jerky movements or pan too quickly. And make use of a stability bar to help with smooth filming and panning.
  • If you are not comfortable in front of the camera, get behind the camera and perform interviews and showcase your neighborhood, businesses and events.
  • Try and keep informational videos short and sweet. You will lose an audience with long videos that drone on, so keep your videos to around 3 minutes  long, 5 minutes max. Anything beyond that, you risk losing the interest of your audience.
  • When shooting home tours, make use of a wide angle lens to get better shots of interior rooms.
  • Include a call to action and display your phone number and the url to your website/blog at the end of your video.
  • Make use of your editing software and edit the raw footage of your videos, add transitions and titles with your website link.
  • When uploading to your YouTube channel, make good use of the description using some keywords and be sure to include links to your website or blog in it.

If you haven’t started with video for your business yet, hopefully the above tips will get you going. And as always, you can make use of a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, to help with editing your videos and broadcasting across the web.

Tips For Creating Fantastic Real Estate Videos
Tips For Creating Fantastic Real Estate VideosMegan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

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Filed Under: Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Technology, Recent Posts, video Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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