In order to better serve their local community, Milestone kept the needs of the customer at the forefront of their redesign. Creating a more positive experience with their site, Milestone made several enhancements including: prominent placement of important call to actions on their homepage photo slideshow, multiple tabs to showcase Just Listed and Newly Priced properties, Open Houses and more, as well as hover-over features for photos giving quick access to basic property information.

The search results pages have been upgraded as well to include a refine bar of the most extensive filters available through the advanced search, allowing users to define their results further without having to return to the search form.

Additional enhancements include:

Advanced Search
Through this feature, Milestone is able to provide customers more filter options beyond the most commonly used fields. This allows users wanting to drill deep into the specific details of a listing the option to do so while not overwhelming those looking to do a quick search.

Property Picks/Driving Tour
Accompanying customers on the bottom of every search, search results and details page are the “My Property Picks” and “Driving Tour” tabs. These features allow users to add properties of interest to these baskets in order to compare the properties side-by-side or get turn-by-turn driving directions to each of the listings.

Quick View
Increasing the usability of search results page, the quick view feature allows customers to view basic property details without having to visit the property details page. The information appears within a light box application on the same page as the search results and includes a variety of property detail information including address, MLS #, price, list date, photos and more.

Upgraded Realtor Bios
The Realtor bios have been enhanced as well to incorporate a more sophisticated and streamlined design. By including tabs for the agent bio and agent listings, Milestone is able to keep important information above the fold for easy viewing. Call to action items are more prominent on the page as well, allowing a customer to quickly contact the agent for additional information.

Sticky Header
As an added detail, Milestone has chosen to include a static header that follows a user throughout the site. The header includes important call to action items such as their main contact phone number, quick access to email alerts and links to their social sites for increased exposure.

In addition to the features listed above, Milestone has also incorporated a Feedback form while their site is in Beta to ensure the site is meeting the needs of their online customers.

For more information, visit them online at www.milestoneky.com and click on the Preview Our New Site button at the top of the homepage.

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.

A  Few Benefits Pinterest Provides to Real Estate Professionals Include:

Social Engagement: This social site is gaining substantial momentum and gives you another great opportunity to connect with potential home buyers and sellers. Users are sharing their likes, styles and favorite items with one another, giving you the opportunity to stay up-to-date on the latest trends as they relate to your audience.

Become a Local Resource: Pinterest is a great way to provide helpful insight into the home buying process. If you’re a seller, what decorating tips or renovation projects will increase the value of your home? If you’ve recently purchased a home, how are you going to decorate your new master bedroom? Keep in mind; these are commonly-asked questions and interests of most homeowners. So even if they’re not in the market for a new home right now, you’re increasing the chances they’ll come to you when they’re ready to buy or sell a home in the future (it’s that whole top-of-mind awareness thing people are always talking about!)

SEO Link Building: We definitely cannot forget about the SEO love this site provides! Each pin links to a specific site where users can go for more information. If you’re linking to an Individual Property Website with an image of a new property for sale, every time that particular pin is “re-pinned”, the link will direct others back to your site as well.

These are all great reasons for real estate professionals to join Pinterest today. However, remember there is more to it than just sharing your listings. Be sure to provide value to your customers in addition to spotlighting featured homes on your site. Think about other factors that influence the buying or selling of a home. Buying a home is an emotional experience and often times lifestyle choices play an important role in the decision-making process. Include photos of the local community, things to do in the area, school information and more. Over time, you’ll have another factor helping you become the resource for your region. (Tweet this article!)

By Amanda Stephan

(Tweet this article!) Last week, we released our mobile Individual Property Websites (IPWs) and as a follow up, we want to discuss why we felt there was a need to release these mobile IPWs now.  As we all know, the usage of mobile is continuing to grow as more and more Americans are adopting Smartphones – which in turn is generating more mobile traffic to the internet and your website.

In a report released last October by comScore entitled Digital Omnivores: How Tablets, Smartphones and Connected Devices are Changing U.S. Digital Media Consumption Habits, they found that 6.8% of all internet traffic came from mobile.

After reading this, we wanted to see how this compared to mobile views across The Enterprise Network statistics. After reviewing our analytics, it turns out that as of December 2011, The Enterprise Network receives, on average, 14.42% of all traffic from mobile – double what the internet as a whole is experiencing.

With a large amount of mobile users coming to our sites, we wanted to dig further and see how they differed from our regular computer users. Surprisingly, they did not differ as much as we suspected. As a network, mobile users averaged 7.83 pages per visit compared to an only slightly higher 8.33 pages per visit from computer users. In fact, six network members average more pages per visit on mobile than computers.

When it came to average time on site we saw a similar trend. The Enterprise Network mobile users average 6:05 minutes on site compared to computer users that averaged 6:32. We even saw that three Network Members averaged more time on site with mobile than computers. These initial numbers gave us great insight into our mobile customers.

Additionally, we are up 170% in web visits from mobile devices compared to the previous year. 

This growth will only continue as more people adopt Smartphones, which further supports why we’ve dedicated much of our development hours to ensuring that our sites are mobile-enabled.

With the recent release of our mobile IPWs, we’ve again taken the necessary steps to ensure buyers have quick access to important property information on-the-go.  This will no doubt provide a more user-friendly and positive experience associated with your brand.

With mobile usage continuing to grow, what will your brokerage’s next step be?

(Tweet this article!)

By Dyana Gutierrez

Customers will be able to scan a QR code or enter the property’s URL on their mobile device to be directed to the mobile version. Once a customer lands on the IPW, they are given the option to request additional information about the property or click-through to the photo gallery, property details, map view, agent information and more.

Feature highlights include:

Photo Gallery
Because one of the biggest factors in determining your next home is the aesthetics of the property, providing customers with quicker access to property photos was an important factor in the development of this product. As a result, mobile IPWs give users the ability to view the full set of property images in an easy-to-view format.

Property Details
In order to provide customers the same detailed property information available online, mobile-enabled IPWs give customers access to a wealth of information including the number of beds and baths, price and square footage, as well as the unique interior and exterior characteristics of a particular home.

Location
When searching for your next home, it’s all about location, location, location – which is why our mobile-enabled IPW displays the property’s address along with a map or satellite view of the location (including street view where available).

Docs & Links
Through this feature, customers can easily download any document or view links relevant to that specific property including floorplans, neighborhood information and more.

Call-to-Action
With several call-to-action items accessible on mobile IPWs, customers can easily request additional information about the property or contact the listing agent to schedule a showing directly from their mobile device.

(Tweet this Article!)

By Amanda Stephan

These innovative tools were developed as a result of the modern consumer’s expectations. Today’s real estate customer is more tech-savvy and has access to a plethora of information online – and they expect their agents to be more knowledgeable as well. Preparing your agents for these inevitable changes is crucial to your future success as a highly-regarded brokerage.

With technology constantly evolving, it can be overwhelming for a real estate agent to stay up-to-date on these latest trends. By providing your agents with cutting-edge technology, you are one step closer to exceeding customer expectations and associating a positive experience with your brand. However, keep in mind that no matter how many tools and technologies are developed, they will be worth nothing without proper training.

So the real question is: In these changing times, will your agents be able to keep up

At our 2011 conference, we highlighted how agents are still fearful of technology and hesitant to step out of their comfort zone, which has resulted in a low adoption rate of new technologies. Understanding this, the conference session took an in-depth look at how to bridge this gap through established training programs.  In order to cultivate a new breed of agent that is more knowledgeable and easily accessible to their customers, try to focus your training efforts on the latest technology including:

• Web tools
• Marketing
• Blogging
• Social Media

Training on new technologies will provide a sense of confidence for your agents while giving them a competitive advantage in their marketplace as well.

Not only will training provide your individual agents gain a competitive advantage, but it’s also an advantage for you brokerage as a whole.

The simple truth is that if you don’t adopt new innovation, you can bet that your competitors will. By having a proper training program in place, you can increase your technology adoption and improve your productivity – which over time will help with recruiting and retaining agents.

With that said, The Active Enterprise Network has worked hard to ensure our platform is user-friendly, no matter the skill level of our agents. We also recognize the need for training and as part of our 2012 plan, we have built in several new initiatives including:

• New Media Department Training Video Tutorials
• eLearning Center
• Training Department
• And more

For members interested in learning more, please contact your project manager. (Tweet This Article!)

By Dyana Gutierrez

By bringing together a total of 68 offices, more than 2,900 agents and 8,000 exclusive listings, these four brokerages are expanding their reach and offering a more comprehensive search experience for their customers. Each firm’s property listings will be made available across all four sites, providing customers a one-stop-shop when searching for their next home in the New York metro area.

In addition to increasing the visibility of their listings, each brokerage is increasing brand recognition in regions they were not previously exposed to through their combined resources. With roughly 90% of searches beginning online, this strategic move will help prepare these companies for future success as they work together to promote their listings, communities and agents while expanding their customer reach as well.

“We are excited to be a part of this wonderfully collaborative effort, the result of which is a comprehensive search tool that will prove invaluable to consumers in the tri-state region.  In addition to providing high quality listing data from the various regions we cover, each of our websites offers valuable resources like community profiles, property videos and helpful tips for navigating today’s real estate market,” states John Turpin, President of Turpin Realtors.

For more information, check out Turpin’s blog Tri-State Alliance Offers Unparalleled Exposure for Turpin Listings.

About Turpin Real Estate

Founded in 1960, Turpin Real Estate is an independent, family-owned agency with offices in northern New Jersey.  Our outstanding, full-time sales staff is dedicated to providing the highest quality service with uncompromising integrity. Strategic network alliances and extensive marketing systems provide us with unsurpassed coverage for our clients regionally, nationally and internationally. Global reach, unparalleled local expertise and the flexibility of an independently owned agency are the hallmarks of our organization.  To learn more, please visit http://www.turpinrealtors.com/.

About Halstead Property
Halstead Property is one of the largest residential real estate brokerage firms in the metropolitan area. Headquartered at 499 Park Avenue, the firm has nearly 950 sales and rental agents located in 21 premier offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Riverdale, the Hamptons, Hudson Valley, Hoboken, New Jersey and Fairfield  County, Connecticut. In addition, the Development Marketing Division of Halstead Property is the exclusive sales and marketing firm for many new developments in the tri-state area and through the Property Management Division, Halstead manages more than 18,000 residential units within 180 buildings. To learn more, please visit http://www.halstead.com/.

Houlihan Lawrence

Houlihan Lawrence is the largest area broker serving Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, and the 15^th largest broker based on sales volume nationwide.  Founded in 1888, the company has 24 offices and over 1000 agents. Houlihan Lawrence offers specialization in several key areas: Luxury Country Properties reaches beyond the local marketplace to attract discerning buyers from around the world; Global Relocation partners closely with local Fortune 1000 companies to provide full-service relocation assistance; Houlihan Lawrence Project Marketing works exclusively with and for developers of single family and multi-family projects. Houlihan Lawrence has a strong digital footprint and listing syndication to dozens of websites that offer local, regional and international exposure, reaching over 30 million buyers each month. To learn more, please visit http://www.houlihanlawrence.com/

Coach Realtors

Coach Realtors, founded in 1954, is a Long Island based residential real estate company with 18 office locations and more than 650 sales associates serving Nassau and Suffolk counties.  Family owned and operated, Coach Realtors is an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, a division of the famed auction house, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World ® and has been recognized by Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate for over 20 years. To learn more, please visit http://www.coachrealtors.com/

(Tweet This Article!)

By Amanda Stephan

(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.

Getting Fit:

When it comes to content we’ve all heard the saying “content is king,” and likewise, “quality is better than quantity”. Strengthening your content and adding muscle to your pages is still going to be one of the best SEO resolutions you could make. But like all fitness regimes, it’s important to vary your strategies.

Lose the dead weight- Getting SEO fit in 2012 is going to take losing the dead weight content and/or pages and adding the muscle! Go over your old, outdated content or blog posts and revise (or do away with). If your blog tends to have recurring topics, be mindful of duplicate or repetitive content.

Go Fresh - Naturally, search engines won’t be able to keep their hands (crawlers) off you if you’re posting fresh content! Try something new this year. Get a team together and brainstorm some “fresh” ideas for a blog series.

Vary your routine – Your SEO fitness routine should be well-balanced and varied between strategies. Include everything from updating your websites old content, researching new keywords, guest posting, expanding social networks and link building. The mix of strategies will make the difference.

Making New Friends:

Building relationships online can be a very powerful New Year’s SEO resolution. When it comes to building your brand, networking within your industry can provide valuable links, opportunities and expand your knowledge base.

Guest Posting – I scratch your back, you scratch mine. Guest posting is a great way to expand your audience and influence online. Not only is the article a valuable link for you site, but by guest posting you are also establishing yourself as an authority for the topic. What are the benefits of allowing someone to guest post on your blog? Well, it’s free, fresh content for your site, which will only increase traffic coming to your site from search engines.

Get out there – If you want to make yourself known in your industry, you need to get out there! Whether you’re building relationships with potential clients on social networks or contributing to discussions on forums or blog posts with other professionals in your industry, branding yourself online starts online! So are you there?

Next Week on SEO Juice: Stay tuned next week for a deeper discussion on 2012 SEO Resolution #1: Getting Organized. (Tweet this article!)

By Katelyn Wheaton

Service is typically an act performed as a product, and like every product it can be executed with varying degrees of quality. It is much harder to replicate, but when executed to perfection feels more personal and creates more inner warmth (and connection with the client) than the feeling of sleeping on silk sheets.

My recent trip was another frequent reminder of the importance of service. I made my way to Europe and experienced a handful of contrasting treatments.

Europeans typically ridicule the American “great service” by suggesting that it is often fake, and that the “How are you doing today?” as you enter and “Have a nice day!” as you leave is less than genuine.

Restaurants in Europe, while typically seeming more sophisticated than US restaurants (I classify this by the fact the majority actually have tablecloths), really lack a lot in service. The feel of having a tablecloth or a pretentious surrounding cannot cover for what seems like an attitude problem. I know the job is not easy and probably not always enjoyable, but it should be obvious that bad service can ruin the best of produce.

The acceptable tip percentage is higher in the US, leaving a larger portion of the service reward in the hands of the customer and could be the differentiating factor of why the service is that much better. Fake or not, and regardless of the quality of the food, I found myself missing the American customer-centric way.

As a stark contrast, I used Lufthansa as a connecting flight within Europe (similarly to flying internally within the US). It reminded me of what flying used to be like. I was not required to pay extra for my bags, nor was I charged for alcohol or the entertainment system. I was given hot wet towels before and after the provided hot meal, all in a flight that was shorter than three hours. The processes seemed so tight, like clockwork, and delivered with a smile and a helpful attitude. The Europeans win this one hands down.

As soon as the Travel Industry started suffering, the first thing that seemed to be regarded as a luxury, and cutback on, was the service. Everything costs extra and is often a ridiculous percentage of what the actual ticket cost ($5 and $10 fees on a ticket costing hundreds), leaving a bad taste in the customers mouth needlessly. Follow this with air stewards that seem to hate their jobs and act like they’re doing you a favor, and you have a complete mess that has somehow become the standard for internal air travel in the US.

I know my story is filled with generalizations, but it has an underlying point that is a valid one. As powerful as great service can be in cementing a relationship with a client, bad service can be detrimental.

It is at this point of the year that many of us make resolutions for the year to come. I make many and normally keep a few. There is ONE resolution that I always stick to…Regardless of how fast we grow (as a company), we will never sacrifice the level of service we pride ourselves on.

I hope I can encourage you to make a similar resolution. As a business owner:

• Take the time to experience the service you offer through your customers eyes.
• Put processes in place to ensure quality in your service as well as your product, based on your findings.
• Incentivize your employees to align their goals with your customers.

As an employee, you can make the biggest difference. You are delivering the service to the customer. If you don’t love your job, leave it, otherwise “execute with love”.

I am sure many of you are or have been away recently. It is at those times when we are taken out of our regular routines, and sometimes our comfort zones, that we can reflect on what typically seems so normal with new insight. Please share any of your stories. (Tweet this article!)

Until my next rant…

Ido

Preparing for the future is not an easy task, especially when technology is rapidly changing. Our only measuring stick for where we’ll be in 20 years is how far we’ve come.

Reading the articles submitted to the Blog Swap made me reflect on how far the SEO world has evolved this past year and where it’s headed. With online home search now a major player in the Real Estate Industry, it’s important to be mindful of the changes taking place.  After all, the only thing consistent with Google is change, and as always we’ll have to adapt.

In 2011, the updates Google made changed the SEO game completely and transformed the way users see search results.

Google Retiring Real Estate

Kicking off 2011 with a bang, on January 26th Google announced they were retiring the real estate feature on Google Maps. With 89% of home buyers searching for homes online, many starting their search on Google, this was great news for the Real Estate Industry. Brokerages could once again have the opportunity to take some of that traffic to their own sites and establish themselves as local experts – with better search features.

Many speculated that Google may not be out of the real estate game completely, and the search giant had something bigger in mind. After all, Google had been focusing a great deal of attention on local search through Google Places, Local Business Extensions, etc. Eliminating real estate from their services seemed somewhat backwards from the path they were on.

Only two months later was it clear that Google had something else in mind; social.

Google Becoming Social

On March 30th Google launched the +1 button, which resembled Facebook’s “like” button and it’s “peer recommendation” appeal. Right from the beginning, Google alluded to the possibility of this new feature affecting search results – and it turns out it really does.

“Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop.”

Tying everything together, on June 28th, we saw just how “social” search would become with the launch of Google+. With its rapid growth, there isn’t a web user out there that hasn’t noticed the difference in search today. Articles or websites that have been +1’d by your friends appear higher in the search results. Suddenly being in as many “circles” as possible can change the SEO game for you.

As an online author, having the authorship markup linked to your Google profile can increase the likelihood of someone clicking on your article in the SERPs and make your articles appear more credible. In 2011, establishing an online reputation became the key to success with SEO.

Making Search More Secure – “Not Provided”

Flash forward a few months to October 19th, the SEO world witnessed Google acting very much out of character. Attempting to make the search experience more secure, Google announced they are eliminating the query data used in a search for the users signed on to a Google account. This data has historically been very useful for white-hat SEO strategies, something Google has always rewarded, and by eliminating it, it only seemed contradictory.

For Google, making search more secure is going to be a delicate dance between favoring webmasters or users. If Google favors webmasters, that might get in the way of user privacy issues. However, if Google continues to lean toward favoring users, that might prevent webmasters from targeting effectively or meeting user needs. Despite all the confused and angry webmasters this change caused, Google will run Google its own way, and we’ll just have to adapt.

What This Means for Real Estate in 2012

With Google’s ever-changing algorithm and improvements, it’s now more important than ever to produce high quality content and encourage users to share, “like” and endorse it with +1’s. Search has become more and more user-customized, and setting yourself a part in 2012 is going to take more engagement while establishing a reputation online.

As a brokerage or an agent, producing content about your local market and community will not only set you as the market leader, but the local expert.

How do you become the local expert? Expand!

Don’t limit your new content to be about all the everyday “new listings” that come your way. Use your blog to its full potential! Produce content about everything from real estate, community events, community news, social media, technology, local parks, local celebrities, etc. If you don’t, you’ll limit your audience and your influence.

Enterprise Network member, Smith & Associates Real Estate did a wonderful series on their Tampa Real Estate blog about Facebook for real estate. The series is very insightful and is an excellent example of how you can expand your readership.

In 2012, it’s all about your influence and engagement. How do you plan on becoming the local expert in your industry? (Tweet this article!)

By Katelyn Wheaton

Armed with their knowledge of the Real Estate Industry, members intend to bring awareness to current market trends that are impacting the industry, how technology is influencing these trends and what brokerages can do today to prepare for tomorrow.

Educating consumers and real estate professionals on the future of real estate, the following members are sharing their perspective on what the brokerage, agent and customer will look like in 20 years:

Hasson Company Realtors featured on the Tampa Homes for Sale blog

Windermere Tri-Cities Real Estate featured on the Northern Virginia Real Estate blog

Murney Associates, Realtors featured on the Fort Collins Real Estate blog

Smith & Associates Real Estate featured on the Providence Homes for Sale blog

The Group, Inc. Real Estate featured on the Springfield Real Estate blog

Residential Properties Ltd. featured on the Charlotte Homes blog

Charles Reinhart Company Realtors featured on the New England Real Estate blog

LandVest, Inc. featured on the Princeton Real Estate blog

Helen Adams Realty featured on the Enterprise Network blog

N.T. Callaway Real Estate Brokers featured on the Ann Arbor Real Estate blog

McEnearney Associates Inc, Realtors featured on the Portland Homes blog

Thank you to all our members who helped make this a successful event. The Holiday Blog Swap kicks off Real Estate Now!, a network-wide series that takes a real estate-related topic and creates a conversation around it each quarter in 2012. Stay tuned as we announce our first topic in the new year! (Tweet this article!)

Related Posts:

How Will You Sell Real Estate in the Year 2030?

Enterprise Network Members Participate in Holiday Blog Swap