Real Estate Comes to Pinterest

January 27, 2012

Filed under: Charles Reinhart Company Realtors,Social Media,Social Networking
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(Tweet this article!) If you haven’t heard of Pinterest by now, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this new site that allows you to make virtual pinboards of items you find interesting – from recipes to crafts to fashion and more. I’ve been a member of Pinterest for several months now, and besides the fact that I’m sleep deprived from spending all night pinning my favorite items and browsing other’s boards for my next project idea (seriously, it’s my latest online addiction), I think this platform provides a unique opportunity to the Real Estate Industry.

Pinterest and real estate seem to be a natural fit. Pinterest has proven to be a great resource for those looking to design their dream kitchen, find DIY home improvement projects and browse boards for other inspirational ideas for interior decorating. And because Pinterest visits increased 4,000% in just six months landing them in the top 10 most visited social sites in Nov. 2011, this is one site you need to get on board with (no pun intended).

The above image is an example of how one member is using this social platform to their advantage. For more info check out Reinhart Realtors on Pinterest! They’ve done a great job inspiring their followers with pins ranging from restaurants in their area to housewarming gifts to master bathroom ideas and more.

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New Year’s SEO Resolutions for 2012

January 5, 2012

Filed under: Content,SEO Juice Series,Search Engine Optimization,Social Networking
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SEO Juice

(Tweet this article!) It’s resolution time! And despite the sudden irritation you feel from your gym being over crowded by all the “resolutioners,” there is something special about the idea of starting fresh. It’s empowering! This month SEO Juice will dive into 2012 SEO resolutions: Getting organized, getting fit and making new friends in order to improve your SEO.

After all, just as it is so with every holiday season, it’s far more important what you choose to do between New Years and Christmas than it is between Christmas and New Years. So let’s start the year off right!

Getting Organized:

It’s on just about every New Year resolution list. In 2012, with the mix of social media, content creation, content promotion, relationship building and staying on top of the changing industry, being organized can seem overwhelming. With search becoming more and more social, it’s no mystery that blogging and engaging in social media can be one of the most valuable tools to improve your SEO and develop a stronger brand.

So how do we make getting organized less overwhelming?

Create a Content Calendar – A content calendar can be created in an hour or two and can ease the stress in the long run. Make a plan for when you will post articles to your blog or have an article ready for a guest post. Take into account all the different holidays or events on the horizon and be thinking of how you will capitalize on them with your content.

Social Media Plan – Write down your social media goals, how you want to engage with your fans and what types of links/articles you want to share with them. Create guidelines for the types of statuses and links you want to post, keeping them in line with your goals. But remember, your social profiles need to be more than virtual paperweights. Give your fans a reason to come back to your fan page and click through to your website again and again. Be engaging! Ask their opinions and answer their questions. This is the key to building their trust, building links and becoming an authority online.

Contact List – Keep a running spreadsheet of your opportunities online and your contacts to get your content published. Jot down their information and the types of articles a particular website publishes. As this list builds up, you’ll be much more organized and ready when it comes time to guest post.

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Google+ Pages: What You Need to Know

November 8, 2011

Filed under: Google,Social Media,Social Networking
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Yesterday Google released their much anticipated Google + pages, allowing brands to start connecting with customers on their platform. This launch was expected and hopefully you’ve starting planning your strategy for this new social network. But before you dive in, here are a few things you should know.

Google+ pages are not that different from Facebook brand pages and have similar functionality (You can display information about your brand, contact information, upload photos and videos, start discussions, etc). The pages also look very similar to Google+ profiles and allow users to add the brand to their circles (increasing the brand’s follower count), share the brand’s page and +1 the brand. These features are pretty typical, but we have outlined some of the differentiators below.

Hangouts

Video Hangouts allow you to chat with users face-to-face. We see this feature as a huge opportunity for The Active Enterprise Network as it gives us the opportunity to engage with other brokerages in The Network, host live forums, discuss best practices, train members, etc.

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Conference Highlight: Search, Mobile and Social Trends

October 27, 2011

Filed under: 2011 Active Enterprise Network Annual Conference,Conferences & Events,Mobile,Real Estate Technology,Search Engine Optimization,Social Networking
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At this year’s Active Enterprise Network Annual Conference, Active Website’s Director of Deployment, Tyler Olmsted, and Director of Mobile Technology, Chris Chares, discussed the impact search, mobile and social networking can have to the online home searching process. 89% of home searching is done online and the process can often be a cold, impersonal experience. However, with the new advances in these areas we are able to bridge this gap and provide a robust experience to customers and give them search results that better match their needs.

Before people started home searching online, they would first go to their realtor to help them find homes based on criteria other than the number of beds and baths, price range, etc. Customers would discuss what was important to their lifestyle and the realtor would then be able to help them find homes that matched all of their needs.

However, since more and more buyers are starting their search online before talking to an agent, we need to provide better tools that mimic the experience they would have with an agent. Through search, mobile and social networking, we can achieve this goal. (more…)

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Google Launches New Social Platform, Google+

July 15, 2011

Filed under: Facebook,Google,Real Estate Community,Search Engine Optimization,Social Networking
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Search and social interaction are two of the most popular functions of internet users. Google has been dominating internet search for years now. Similarly, Facebook has emerged as the leader in social networking.

Why is Google so obsessed with the social space?
We have seen Google make quite a few attempts at breaking into the social space without success. With the recent launch of Google+, you might be wondering why they’re so persistent following so many failed attempts (Google Wave, Buzz, Dodgeball, etc.). The reason is that both spaces are slowly converging into one. A good search engine provides quick and accurate results (weeding out the masses of clutter, spam and “black hat” sites). Social interaction plays a very interesting role in the “accuracy” of results.

In the earlier days of search engines, very few factors were considered outside of the terms you were searching for. Since then, search has evolved to take into account as much external data as it can gather. For example, once Google realized it can decipher your geographic location, they started basing results on sites that may be more relevant to your search based on your location.

The same is now true for social sites. As social platforms evolved, the search industry realized that not only could you acquire all the same data about users via these sites, but that other important data can be captured including users’ opinions, taste and circles of influence. A dynamic profile for every user (and other entities) exists with all their personal details and interests. Search engines can now factor a searcher’s likes and preferences as well as their friends’ opinions when delivering results. This makes personal data extremely valuable and a significant motivator for investing so heavily in social platforms.

Seeing that most of the valuable data relates to opinions and taste, one of the most important features of a social network is the “like” button. Google realized this and has recently released the Google “+1” button. It’s really quite surprising that it took so long for Google to realize the importance of the “like” feature. For years Google has placed significant weight to the quality and number of domains linking to a specific site when determining its rank for a specific term. These inbound links are in effect acting as a “like” feature. (more…)

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