Videos online can help your Website placement

For years now, agents have been using search advertising as a way to generate leads and sales. However, with keyword pricing on the rise, online video has quickly become a preferred method of marketing. Search engines like Google, MSN, AOL and Yahoo! have begun to index video higher up in search results, increasing visibility for their campaigns.

In addition, the number of people watching videos online is on the rise. Roughly 129.5 million people watched online video ads at least once a month, according to an August 2008 study by eMarketer, and that figure is estimated to increase more than 40 percent to 183.3 million in 2013.

Here are six simple rules to help you develop your own online video, and capitalize on this growing opportunity.

Rule Number One: Ensure the content resonates with your target audience. Unlike TV viewers who are primarily watching for general entertainment or news in a passive way, Internet users are usually task-driven and actively looking for very specific content. Find out how Internet users got to your company home page. Look at the keywords they used and create a video that speaks them. While they are looking for quality content, people who watch online video don’t usually demand the highest production values or high-definition quality. The important thing is to have relevant content that resonates with your target buyer.

Rule Number Two: Place your video on your Web site and across multiple sharing sites. Now that you know what the video should include, find a place on your Web site to host these videos. Choose a noticeable, but unobtrusive place on your site’s first page or “home” page, and make sure the video doesn’t launch as soon as someone accesses the page. When a viewer first visits your site, they typically want to have control. In addition to hosting your video on your own Web site, distribute it across the major video destinations, like YouTube, MySpace TV, Metacafe, and others. Your goal is to be anywhere your target buyer may be, and ensure they are able to find your agency when they’re looking for the services you offer.

Rule Number Three: Make sure people find your videos. Now that you know what the content should be and where to place it, the next step is helping people find it on the Web. The lesson here is putting in the right “metadata,” or keywords in the title fields, description and “tags” with which search engines use to match search queries. When writing a headline, keep it short and simple. Some easy things to keep in mind are to include your company name, basic product description and any brand names associated with your business. When conducting basic searches for real estate, most prospects will include their location to narrow results, so include that as well.

Rule Number Four: Keep it short. While more and more people have broadband connections and fast computers, online videos may still take some time to download and slow down other applications. Think about conveying your message in short videos, or risk losing the attention of your target customer.

Rule Number Five: Track your viewers and measure response. The goal of tracking your viewers is to understand them better, and turn them into potential buyers. Video hosting sites like YouTube now provide sophisticated reporting tools that yield deeper insight into the origin, geography, demographic and viewing behavior of your video. This type of data can help you determine what types of videos to produce in the future, which takes us to the next rule.

Rule Number Six: Refresh your videos. Many of the sharing sites allow users to subscribe to your videos, so updating them is a good way to keep your company top-of-mind for customers that follow you. Even without a new product/service, you can use different testimonials, or show how your company is connected or relevant to news trends. And again, using customer feedback to develop new types of videos is important.

Conclusion: Sound like a daunting task? Actually, developing and launching an online video ad campaign can be fairly painless and very affordable. The result can not only provide a higher level of engagement and connection with your core customers, but can also lead to a wave of new business. So in short, jumping on the online video “brandwagon” could give the competitive edge you need for survival during this tough economic time.

Article came from Kurt Weinsheimer on futureofrealestatemarketing.com.

A Website that makes Stumbling fun!

For those of you who love to surf the web or for those who are just looking for some interesting facts in your favorite subject, the website below is for you.

StumbleUpon.com was created to help people share and discover websites with others who have similar interests. When you initially set up your page it will ask you to check off various topics that interest you from their selection and then you will ask the site to start stumbling. It will seek out sites that have similar interests to the ones you selected. When it pulls up a site, you can tell it you like it or you don't and it will continue the search based on your feedback. It's a lot of fun and it guides you to sites you may not have discovered otherwise.

This is one time when it's okay to stumble around.

What will 2009 Bring?

We talk a lot about the importance of the internet when it comes to your marketing campaign, but don't forget about some of the other trends of your potential consumers. There are many ways to reach them and get more exposure for yourself. Many "forecasters" believe 2009 to be a year of consumer budgeting and concern for the environment. How does that tie in with your advertising and marketing programs? Here are a few ways to include it in your marketing:

The value of free. 2009 will be the "year of the freebie." As people look to save money they will hold onto a free shirt, tote, mug or cap much longer, and place more value on it and the business that gave it to them. Make sure you're the one providing these items, branded with your logo or message. When they're kept and used longer you get extended play of your message.

Green is the word. People want to save the environment, as well as their money, and will lean towards companies who share their earth-friendly views. A shift to eco-friendly living is forecast, meaning the green movement will gain more traction in 2009. Promoting your business with biodegradable, recyclable or sustainable items will find favor with the public. Learn more about going green.

Keep it simple. A year of more simplistic lifestyles is also predicted. Instead of going out to a restaurant employees might bring a bag lunch to work. Items like totes, backpacks, lunch sacks, travel mugs and sports bottles are primed for maximum use and brand exposure.

Information came from Vernon Company

Text Messaging for Real Estate

It’s a pretty sure bet that you have a cell phone. What about text messaging, do you use it? If you don’t, consider yourself in a very small minority. Nielsen Mobile surveys shows that by the second quarter of 2008, text messages had exceeded the number of cell phone calls by an impressive margin.

And, if you think it’s all just teenagers who don’t buy or sell real estate, think again. The facts show that every age group up through 44 years old sent more text messages than they made cell phone voice calls. And it was close on the 45 to 54 group. The plain truth is that text messaging is becoming a wildly popular way to exchange information. And, huge marketers and retailers are now doing text message marketing to bring in consumers. You can actually get a coupon text message and show it in a restaurant for a discount.

That’s nice, but we’re not selling burgers you say. True, but we are in a service business that is very dependent on making contact with our prospects and clients. And, we market high dollar products. If a burger sale justifies expenditures on SMS text message advertising, then why wouldn’t a home listing? The good news is that there are uses in our business for this medium, and they can cost as little as nothing, zero, free.

How many people do you think drive by your listings every weekend? Do you use a brochure box? Is it empty every time you check it? Who took them, and what was their level of interest? Can you contact them again? How many wanted a brochure but didn’t find one in the empty box? What if:

• Every person who drove by and had an interest could have text messaged a code to get price and other information?


• You never have to fill a brochure box again, AND you get the information out when they want it?


• You never print brochures but you end up with the phone number of the person who asked for more information?


• You could text that person again if the price is reduced?

All of this is currently available technology. You can get the basics for free with an account at

4info.net. There you can set up to text out your listing details from a sign rider code. And, you can even send out text alerts to subscribers of market news from your website or blog. Or, let them know when you list a new home. Now, 4info is free, so you don’t get the phone number of the person who asked for the information, or a color website for the listing. Or, for another free solution for getting out sales data, new listings, or market alerts, you can use Twitter.com. It will issue text message alerts for you.

If you want to take it to the next level, another service at UGotItFirst.com will set you up to send text alerts from the yard sign, but there is more. You can also get their phone number, and they can subscribe to receive your alerts in the future. They also get a link to a color presentation on a website for the listing. Those who are web-enabled will be able to look at the home in all its glory.
The point is that SMS text messaging is wildly popular, and it’s just getting more so. If you do not have a plan to implement it in your marketing, you’re falling behind already. And, it’s not just about texting out your listing data when they’re in front of the home. It’s about alerting your interested prospects of important market news or real estate statistics. You can place a box on your site where they can subscribe to get text alerts of price drops or other market news.

One Realtor in a vacation home market has a popular alert service to let interested investors or buyers know of values on the market. This broker realized that he was reading the Hotsheet every day, seeing some great price reductions on properties that weren’t his listings. By subscribing for these alerts, the broker is free to send them out, though not his listings. These are bargain hunters who want to know about deals as soon as they hit the market. He reinforces his knowledge and value by choosing real deals, sending few alerts. But, they generate business precisely because they point out true value.

Start looking at how you might use SMS text messaging to bring your message to the new consumer. It is for all ages, and they appreciate the ability to tell you what they want and when they want it. And, if a buyer prospect is sitting in front of your listing and wants to know more, get the information to them in seconds as a text message and/or a link to full rich web content.

Article written by Peyman Aleagha with GeekEstateBlog.com