Social media

Facebook Timeline: A Quick How-To

December 19, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

You may have heard about the new Facebook profile interface, the Facebook Timeline. (If you haven’t yet Check out this complete guide from Mashable) It is quite a radical change to the overall look and function the Facebook profile that they started previewing to users back in September. Now they are rolling it out for everyone to have access too, and should become the default profile setting for all users in a upcoming months.

Want to go ahead and change and play around with the new Facebook Timeline now? They’ve made it easy! Here is now:
(tips courtesy of Mashable)

Login & Click - Log out of your Facebook account, then go to this About Timeline page.
Get Timeline - At the bottom right of the page, click on “Get Timeline.” If you like what you see and don’t want to edit anything, publish it right away by scrolling back to the top of that page and click “Publish Now” and you’re done. If you’d like to edit, go to the next step.
Scroll Down and Edit - Scroll down on your timeline and edit or remove any items you don’t want shown. Do that by holding your cursor over the upper right of an item you want to edit, and then click on the icon that looks like a pencil — it will have a label that reads Edit or Remove.
Make Changes - From the resulting drop-down list, you can change the date of the item, add a location, hide it from the timeline, delete the post altogether, or report it/mark it as spam.
Highlight and Expand your favorite posts - If you’d like to “feature” any of your posts, click on the star icon to the left of that pencil icon. Then that item will be expanded all the way across the page, made larger for all your friends to see. Cool huh?
Publish Now – Or wait until Dec 22nd - Once you’re satisfied with all of your edits, either scroll back to the top of your Timeline and click “Publish Now,” or do nothing and it’ll be automatically published on December 22, 2011.

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.

Filed Under: Facebook, Getting Down To Basics, Social Networking Tagged With: Facebook, facebook pages, Facebook Timeline, getting down to basics, How-to, Real Estate Technology, Social media, Social network, Social Networking, Technology

Rich Real Estate Agent, Poor Real Estate Agent

November 11, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

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

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: ActiveRain, Blog, Business, Business and Economy, Direct Marketing, Facebook, internet marketing, Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Marketing plan, Online Marketing, Real Estate - General, Real Estate - General, Real estate broker/agent, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate News, Real Estate Technology, real estate virtual assistant, Social media

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

October 19, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

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!

11 Weeks Left in 2011? Lets Get Ready for 2012 NOW!

Filed Under: Blogging, Facebook, Online Marketing, Real Estate - General, Real Estate Marketing, Recent Posts, Social Networking, Twitter, Websites Tagged With: Blogging, Business, Business plan, Facebook, facebook business page, internet leads, Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social media, Social Networking, twitter, video

Social Media vs. Traditional Marketing – There Is No Magic Bullet

May 25, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

Old school vs. the new school. Traditional marketing methods vs. Social media marketing. Ways of the past vs. the wave of the future. Around the online real estate world, a small debate was going on about the different schools of thought on real estate marketing methods such as social media and online marketing, and the more traditional routes such as cold calling, door knocking, and direct mail.

Some have quickly taken one side over the other, dismissing the validity of the other point. The “old school” folks cheer on the statement that social media is a total waste of time. The “new school” people think the ones who deny the potential of social media are dinosaurs of the industry that should step aside. I think the the bigger picture here in this debate is that a balanced approach using both old and new methods is necessary to succeed in this market.

Is social media a complete waste of time? I don’t certainly think so. If you know me, you know that I am a big social media fan, and use things like Facebook and Twitter quite often personally and for my business. I have even signed new clients that I’ve met via social media.

Social networking can certainly have potential to be a time waster, with the virtual farms, virtual mafia, and the penchant to announce what one had for breakfast. Certainly if you spend too much of your time living on Facebook and Twitter, you are not going to get much done in general, or be able to effectively work with your clients. But if you handle your social networking activities correctly (strategically), you can get potentially attract new business through your social media engagement.

It is also necessary to have the right mindset and expectation about the potential business social media marketing can bring you. Connections that you attract through social media can take a long time for them to convert to actual business, much like other internet leads. But if you look at the bigger picture, social networks are a great tool to foster new relationships with prospects by engaging with them and repeatedly be out in front of them.

Through some of the more traditional methods of cold calling, and door knocking, most of the “old school” gurus direct agents to go through their database, sphere or lists looking for buyers and sellers that are ready to make their move RIGHT NOW. And then they’ll instruct them to cross the prospect off the list and move on the the next if the are not ready to do business in the immediate. Where this differs from social media marketing is that you are spending little time incubating those warm or cold leads, and going directly for the hot ones. While this approach may be successful for some, it is not for everyone, and even some prospects find this type of communication a total turn off (Hello Gen Y?).

Both social media marketing and more traditional prospecting methods both have their place in today’s marketing plans. Cold calling for hot leads can help you generate business that is ready to move right now, while social media marketing can help fill that pipeline of incoming leads that can eventually warm up to actual business too. I believe a balanced approach in your marketing plan is best.

There is no one marketing method that is the magic bullet. But use any combination of them with the right approach and mindset, and they will bring you new business.

What side of the debate do you stand on? Or what marketing methods have yielded the best results for you? I want to hear from you, so please comment below!

Social Media vs. Traditional Marketing There Is No Magic Bullet

Filed Under: Direct Marketing, Facebook, Online Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Mistakes, Real Estate Technology, Recent Posts, Social Networking, Twitter, Websites Tagged With: Cold calling, Facebook, Generation Y, internet leads, internet marketing, Marketing, real estate video, Social media, social media marketing, Social network, twitter

The Power of Information – New video from RISMedia

March 28, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Facebook, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Technology, Recommended Reading, Social Networking, Twitter, video Tagged With: Facebook, facebook business pages, facebook pages, Faceboook for real estate, internet marketing, mobile, mobile for real estate, mobile marketing, Mobile Web, Online Marketing, Real Estate - General, Real Estate Marketing, real estate video, RISMedia, Social media, social media marketing, Social Networking, twitter, twitter for real estate, video, video blogging, web 2.0

Have You Updated Your About Page Lately

March 22, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

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!

Filed Under: Online Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Recent Posts, Virtual Assistant, Websites Tagged With: About Megan E. Barber, about pages, About.me, Business, business card, megan barber, Online Marketing, personal marketing, Real Estate - General, Real Estate Marketing, real estate virtual assistant, real estate websites, Social media, Social network

You’re Doing it Wrong

March 2, 2011 By Megan E. Barber 1 Comment

Are you frustrated with not getting a steady stream of quality prospects from your real estate website? Suffering from too many visitors leaving your website and never coming back? If you are having a tough time getting new leads and visitors to sign up for your list and contact you, take a long hard look at your site. Chances are, you are probably doing it wrong.

You Are Doing It Wrong if…

1. Your site is a stale static site that does not have regularly updated content like a blog.

If you are not updating your site regularly with new content, like blogging, your site stays stale, uninteresting and totally irrelevant. And blogging doesn’t have to be strictly written articles. You can regularly post videos and pictures relevant to your market area that will provide content that people will come back to see.

2. You have pictures of palm trees and beaches all over your header and pages, but your local market is in Denver Colorado.

If your site does not reflect you and your local market, what is the point? How would anyone know if you are the local market expert when your site displays a complete disconnect?

3. You have a forced sign-up immediately just to be able to start a property search or to view IDX listings.

I know this is a common tactic to garner leads, so some may disagree with me here. But from my own experience as a consumer… when I am looking for homes and you make me sign up just to search or view them, I will bounce out of there and go where I can view homes unimpeded. It’s a personal annoyance of mine, but I know many consumers share the same experience.

4. It is too hard to find the top THREE things visitors to your site want most: Home Search, “What is my home worth”, “How is the Market”

If those top three things are not above the fold or in a most obvious place on your site for buyers and sellers to find, you are missing the mark. Your site will lose credibility with visitors right away if they have to search too hard to find the information they want the most. So they will bounce out and find it elsewhere.

5. Your website is all about you and nothing much about your local market and what your visitors want (see the top 3 items above).

Truth is, consumers don’t much care about the agents when they start their home search. When you go car shopping, do you first start by searching for the best car salesman you can find? My guess is that you don’t. The same goes for home buyers. They start searching for HOMES not for Realtors. So drop the ego and make sure your site is geared towards the consumer. Answer the question, “What’s in it for them?”.

6. You’re not offering buyers and sellers something of actual value to them for signing up for your list or updates.

Those cheesy, canned “free reports” provided by template sites don’t count. (does anybody really sign up for those?) Try something like the Market Snapshot system, a special buyers guide, offer IDX listings to their inbox, or free foreclosure lists.

7. Your site has no links or way to connect with you on social media.

Social media gives web visitors the opportunity to observe your activity, a bit of your personality, and build up that trust factor over time. And since many visitors are not usually ready right then to make contact with you, provide them links to your Facebook business page or Twitter feed for them to get to know you from a distance. This is especially appealing to Gen Y’ers since they are way more likely to reach out via Facebook than pick up the phone or send an email.

8. There’s no clear call to action on your site.

If you don’t have clear consistent calls to action to tell your users what you want them to do with the information you provide them, you’re doing it wrong. Tell them to call or email you for more info. Tell them to leave you a comment about their own experiences or questions. Tell them to sign up on your form to receive market reports on recent solds in the area.

9. You have no contact forms on your site for visitors to actually contact you when they are ready.

Only having your phone number or links to email you may be hurting your site’s ability to capture leads. Having no (or very few) contact forms on your site, you’re not making it easy for visitors. It can be especially difficult for those who primarily use a web based email client like gmail or they happen to be at work. In fact, it is important to have some sort of contact form on every page. Make it easy on your users to contact you!

10. You say you are different from the rest, yet you are using a templated website that looks identical to 50,000 other agents’ sites.

Using a template site that is provided to you by your broker or from from some other web vendor, does you no favors. Those template sites hardly reflect your local market or your own brand and you can get easily lost in the shuffle. How can you stand out from the rest if your site looks exactly the same as the next guy and does nothing to set you apart.

If you took a good look at your site and saw that your are doing one, all or any combination of the above, it is probably time for a new approach. Your website should be your hub, your engine for delivering exactly what consumers want when they search for real estate info. If you are not making it easy, not making it all about them, you are losing them. Stop doing it wrong.

Consider utilizing a Real Estate Virtual Assistant to help you do it right.

Seen other ways people are doing it wrong? Have any questions on how to do it right? We want to hear from you! Leave us a comment below and let us know.

Filed Under: Blogging, Online Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Mistakes, Real Estate Technology, Recent Posts, Websites Tagged With: internet leads, internet marketing, lead conversion, real estate leads, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Mistakes, real estate website, Social media, Web Design and Development, Website, websites

1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]

February 17, 2011 By Megan E. Barber Leave a Comment

via socialcommercetoday.com

I ran across a few great infographics on Social Commerce Today, including the above illustrating the growth of Facebook over 2010, top brands, and demograhpics. Click the image above to read the great post.

Anyone out there still unsure about the importance of building a presence for your business on Facebook?

Posted via email from megbarberva’s posterous

1 in 11 humans Are on Facebook [infographic]

Filed Under: Facebook, Real Estate Technology, Social Networking Tagged With: Facebook, facebook business page, Information graphics, Social media, Social network, Social Networking

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