We just returned from a training at Rubloff, one of our Enterprise Network members out of Chicago. We introduced the Active technology to over 100 powerful agents. Throughout the week, the most frequently asked questions were about the Agent Rebrandable Websites, so we wanted to address this important topic here.

The first part of the answer is “Local, Local, and Local.” All agents have one thing in common–they are knowledgeable in a specific local Real Estate market. Customers come to the agent for their local knowledge and expertise when they are considering what honestly could be one of their largest financial decisions.

So how does the agent get this knowledge and expertise out to the public and then engage potential clients and help them throughout their transaction? Here are the steps for utilizing some of the latest Web 2.0 technologies to promote the Agent Rebrandable Website.

1. Identify your local market: Where do most of your sales come from, and what areas do you specialize in? For example, maybe your focus is on condo sales in Lincoln Park, or after analyzing your sales, you notice that 70% of the sales came within a 5 mile radius. After further review, you realize that 60% of the sales were first time homebuyers. And you enjoy working with them. Build on this!

2. Develop a Brand: Come up with a very clear and concise message, kinda like a tag line, that flows well. So when people ask, “what do you do?” you can answer, “I am a Real Estate consultant and I specialize in working with first time home buyers in the Lincoln Park area.” Make it short, concise and clear!

3. Start a list of ways you can influence this local market. Here are some list ideas:

• Customers that you have helped in the last couple of years
• Colleges, Clubs and organizations in the area that your target market might be involved with
• Local websites that this market will be visiting (the key here is to think locally and then regionally & nationally)
• Keywords this group uses when searching your local market (i.e. Lincoln park homes)
• Local, regional and national blogs that are being written
• Local charity that you are passionate about
• What your target market group does for fun
• Places your target market group goes outside of work
• Companies in the area that hire a lot of young professionals coming out of college
• The Top 12 Things to Consider When Purchasing your First Home (why 12? we will explain this later!)
• Anyone that will give you a testimonial (we will put this to work later on!)
• Areas that are a good value for first time homebuyers and why
• All the sales in your area and market trends
• Any certain buildings that are your specialty

4. Establish your URL: You need a URL for your great website. Choose a URL that is concise and easy to remember. It is a good idea to purchase multiple URLs and publish them in different media and point them to your site. Here are some examples (which happen to be available):

• www.Lincolnparkexpert.com
• www.Lincolnparklifestyle.com
• www.lincolnparkfirsttimehomebuyer.com
• www.lparkliving.com
• www.lparklifestyle.com

5. Develop your Local Useful Links Section:This information will come from the lists above. Reach out to the organizations on your list and ask them if they would be willing to share content. Also ask them to link back to your website. Tell them how you can help their visitors, and how linking your sites together will boost Search Engine Optimization for both of you.

Also ask your contacts if there are any events you can attend. If you are talking to a local charity, you can post events for them on your blog. Local charities are always looking for help. Reach out to them!

6. Hire a local videographer to shoot a short video (30 seconds max) about your mission. Include the following points:

• What makes you an expert
• How you help first time homebuyers
• What makes you unique

7. Write a good Bio for your website. Make sure your Bio page includes the following content:

• Clear mission statement
• Link to your video
• Link to your useful links
• Blog address
• Phone numbers
• Testimonials

8. Organize your database: Make a list of Past customers and a list of Potential customers. These lists are the start of a successful e-mail campaign!

9. Put your keywords as Meta Tags on your site: If you are a member of the Active Enterprise Network, this is simple and we can help you with this. If you are not a member of the network, talk with your webmaster—this is important!

10. Go to WordPress.com and start your own blog: Write two articles a month. We will discuss later how to save time in generating content. Make sure to back-link to your website.

11. Use your Digital Camera: Start taking photos of the area in which you are an expert. It is a good idea to have a digital library of photos—and it is fun to create!

START THE CONTENT ENGINE

• The Top 12 Things to Consider When Purchasing your First Home: This topic is an easy one-a-month. Make the points short and concise. Publish one a month to your blog too.
• Track the sales in your area
  • Keep a record of each sale in your market area. Provide some interpretations of this data and send this information out monthly to your database. Post the information on your blog as well.
  • Send this information to any of the local sites or blogs you identified. Sold data is great content.

• The Local, regional and national blog list you identified:
  • Reach out to bloggers and post a simple comment on their blog. Don’t over-promote yourself, just comment and then provide your link back to your blog. You will start to develop a name for yourself as well as a back-linking strategy.
  • Trulia Voices–sign up and start answering questions
  • Active Rain–works well for content sharing
  • Go where the big portals are not. Look locally!

• Write about one neighborhood or area a month: Keep the content to short paragraphs or bullet points and add a couple graphs or photos.

• You’re Listings are content:
  • Use property comments and photos for content on your site and your blog too! It’s as simple as copy and paste.
  • Syndicating your listings. If you are with the Enterprise Network, we are already doing this for you. Check out our syndication list. We don’t post to Craig’s list, but recommend that you post your listings there as well.

• Places your target market group goes outside of work List: Write about one place a month. It might be a new restaurant in the area or a recreational event or some event that is coming up in the near future. The good thing about this content is it shows you know the area and it is fresh content for your site. Make sure you put a little spin on this content for Real Estate.

• Your video: get it posted!
  • On Your Blog
  • On Your website
  • On You Tube–it’s free. Make sure to back-link it to your blog and website
  • Write a short e-mail to your database with a link to your video. Include a “call-to-action” like “Here is why I can help you” Or “If you know someone that I could help pass this on.”

• The testimonials you gathered:Publish a testimonial once a month on your blog. Provide a short story about what the client was looking for and how you helped them. This will help position yourself in the eyes of potential clients. Mix up the content with a market update to engage your readers.

• The Local Charity: Start donating time and possibly a percentage of commissions. And write about it!

• Local Companies List: Reach out to the HR department or owners to see if you can set up link-sharing for SEO. Offer a package to help them with key employee relocation or be part of their benefits package. Give them a deal! Ask if you can post news about their company on your site. This content shows you are on top of the local market.

• This tip is a simple one but don’t forget it! Put your website and blog address on all your key information on your Business Cards and V-cards for Outlook.

The Engine is Running: Key Things to Remember so you Don’t Run Out of Gas!

• Keep the content flowing: You should be able to keep your writing and data gathering to 2 -4 hours a month. The key is to utilize other people’s content. If the writing gets to be too much, hire a local college student. Provide them with ideas and have them write 5 articles a month at $50 per article. Something to consider!

• Keep in-touch with your past, current and potential clients: Send out an email once a month to this network.

• Leverage your broker’s website: Make sure you are utilizing the tools they provide. If they are an Enterprise Network member, do the following:
  • Make sure you have Featured Homes
  • Make sure you have an Individual Property Website (IPW) for each listing
  • Video Listings–consider video over virtual tours. It’s a great way to establish yourself as an expert.
  • Syndicate your listings, don’t forget Craig’s list

• Develop content-sharing relationships: You don’t have to create all the content yourself! Get together with colleagues for coffee once a month to generate and share ideas. Then decide who will write what. It’s all about growing your network. You can take turns updating monthly.

• Follow up with your leads: Set a standard for your lead follow-up time—maybe it’s 30 minutes. This standard will help you position yourself as a full- time professional. Then identify, track and close!

• Track the results:
  • Track inquires and find out where they are coming from.
  • Use Google tools to track back-linking. You will be amazed at how Google views your site.
  • 1. Site: Indexed pages in your site site:www.yoursite.com
    2. Link: Pages that link to your site’s front page link:www.yoursite.com
    3. Cache: The current cache of your site cache:www.yoursite.com
    4. Info: Information about your site info:www.yoursite.com
    5. Related: Pages that are similar to your site related:www.yoursite.com

• Get started! You will be well on your way to making your Agent Website one of your greatest business assets!