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3 Reasons Why You Need Local Businesses in your Blog

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

1. Your Readers are Interested in Local Businesses

Your readers visit and shop at local businesses.  By showcasing local stores, restaurants, cleaners or cafes, you connect with your audience.  People like to do business with people they like and connect to.  When you write about local companies you make that connection.

2. Local Businesses refer business.

Local businesses come in contact with tons of people, when you promote and write about local businesses, you help them and in return they help you.  It gives you a legitimate reason to talk to the owners and managers, build a relationship and become top of mind for them.  You also become a point of discussion within the business itself.

3. Posts of Local Businesses are easy to rank in Google.

The more you write about local businesses, the more content you create about your city.  That content tends to rank well in the search engines drawing more traffic to your website, and helping you become the goto location for local information.

Filed Under: Must Reads

Google Reader Keep Yourself Updated

December 2, 2010 By 2 Comments

I’m often asked how I keep up with all the changes and news about technology and the internet.  Well I’m going to give away a trade secret today – it’s called Google Reader.  Enjoy!!

Filed Under: Must Reads

Example of a Realtor Succeeding at Social Media

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dale Chumbley runs the Facebook Fan Page – 365 things to do in Vancouver Washington.

In a few short weeks he had 1000′s of fans! Here’s why.

Filed Under: Facebook, Must Reads, Social Networks

Is RockMelt the Perfect Realtor Web Browser?

November 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Today we get a chance to review RockMelt the new Social Media Browser.  It’s Google Chrome re-imagined for Social Media.

The key difference is what RockMelt calls Edges or the sides of the browser.  Each side(Edge) contains quick access to your feeds from Facebook, Websites, Twitter, Linked In or lots of other types of feeds.  So instead of using a tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to see what’s happening you get the information immediately without leaving the page you’re on.

For those that use Google Chrome you’ll feel right at home, only some minor changes beside the Edges have been made.

Another key feature is the Share button, which allows you to quickly share whatever you are currently looking at to your Twitter or Facebook status update.  This feature saves you the trouble of changing tabs or using an extra tool to make your posts.

Do I think this browsers replaces tools such as Hootsuite?  No, it’s not quite there, but for those that only need to watch one or two feeds and only update a single  Facebook and Twitter account, it may very well be the browser for you!

Take look at the video and then let me know what you think?

Filed Under: Must Reads

What Matt Cutts says about Google SEO?

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When Google talks about SEO, you need to sit up and listen to what they’re saying.  Why?  Well, because they make the rules.

So when Matt Cutt’s took the time to review a Realtor’s website, and point out tips to make the site better, and perform better on Google I started to listen.

Most of what he states in the video is good advice for any site, and particularly good for real estate agents.

Filed Under: Must Reads, SEO

Real Estate Web Site Conversion

November 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Not getting any leads from your site? Maybe you’re getting a ton of leads but they don’t convert into buyers?

We’ll cover those problems in this episode! So stayed tuned and grab a seat!

You can find the rest of the series here: Building a Real Estate Web Presence

Don’t forget your comment and questions.

P.S. Would you like your website reviewed for tips on improving conversion and traffic? Just send a request or comment.

Filed Under: Building a Web Presence Series, Must Reads, Video Tutorials

Building a Web Presence Part 2 – Search Engines for Realtors

September 27, 2009 By 5 Comments

This is Part 2 in a series of videos covering all aspect of building a strong Realtor Web Presence. If you want to see the rest of this series, make sure you subscribe to the site on the left hand side.

In this video we continue to discuss how to use search engines to drive traffic, what it takes to rank well and how to use PPC advertising effectively.

I hope you enjoy it, and please leave your comments and questions.

Don’t forget to join me on Facebook at: http://www.youhavetom.com

or on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/tlyons

Filed Under: Building a Web Presence Series, Must Reads, SEO, Video Tutorials

Building a Web Presence Part 1 – Search Engines for Realtors

September 26, 2009 By 2 Comments

This is Part 1 in a series of videos covering all aspect of building a strong Realtor Web Presence. If you want to see the rest of this series, make sure you subscribe to the site on the left hand side.

In this video we discuss how to use search engines to drive traffic, what it takes to rank well and how to use PPC advertising effectively.

I hope you enjoy it, and please leave your comments and questions.

Don’t forget to join me on Facebook at: http://www.youhavetom.com

or on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/tlyons

Filed Under: Building a Web Presence Series, Must Reads, SEO, Video Tutorials

Social Media is here to stay it’s time to get onboard!

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

confusedDon’t believe in Social Media? Well, it probably doesn’t believe in you either! Which is why you don’t get squat from it!

Ignoring social media is like missing the most important networking event in your community of the century! Anybody who’s anybody is there, but you.

15 years ago there was this thing called the internet. You know just a fad passing through. Those that embraced it then now have a great web presence, and picked up an extra 50 grand per year in deals over the agent that thought it was a waste of time.

Oh, I can you hear now, “Tom, I don’t have time for all this stuff, I’m too busy sitting around waiting for sign calls, or duty calls to make an extra $50,000.” Yeah, ok, whatever!

Well by the time you get your butt in gear to get a website with some search rankings and traffic, the next generation will have dumped email, moved on to social mediums, and you’ll still be wondering what happened.

Seriously, you could just go back to cold calling, you know until you get a big fat fine for violating the “Do Not Call” list!

Or maybe you still drop $300 per week into newspaper, you know the thing NO ONE EVEN READS anymore. That’s $15600 on advertising that was responsible for 3% of home sales according to NAR! Good choice in money management. It’s true your competitors are there, heaven for bid you be a leader!

Still don’t believe in social media? Watch the video below!

Filed Under: Must Reads, Social Networks, Tom's Ramblings

Why the Yellow Pages are still in business

December 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment

163578_46725949We’ve all seen the IPhone ads.  You know the one, it plays cool music in the background while Apple tells us that it will change everything.

Well they’re right.  The IPhone, Blackberry, Google G1, and every other smart phone is changing everything.  Because if you’re under 40 you’ve probably used your phone to find a local business.  If you’re under 30 you probably used the GPS in your phone to drive to a location.

Are you starting to understand?  I DID NOT USE A PHONE BOOK!!  I used my phone, it’s with me all the time.  It gives me a map of where to drive, sometimes the hours of operation.  It can give me more than one option and perhaps some reviews.

Sure the phone book is good if the power goes out, or your phone is dead, or you’re lost in the desert with no cell reception, a phone book and a payphone.  But beyond that it really serves no purpose.  Do people still use it? Yes, of course they do but let’s face it, the phone is replacing the phonebook.

So what’s the hold up, well, many contractor still don’t have websites.  They don’t know how to get on Google Local and Maps.  These small companies are not Geeks like I am, and although they hardly use the Yellow Pages either, it’s the only way to find them.

Come on people, lets do two things.

1. Let’s make sure we get ourselves listed in Google Local.

It’s easy. Click Here to Sign up for Google Local

Just follow the instructions and you’ll be listed in no time.

2. Everyone one of us has a friend who’s contractor, plumber, accountant, dentist, you get my point.  Get them listed, it will take you five minutes to make it happen.  You’ll help their business, that’s what friends do.  Friends don’t let friends waste resources and money.

No let’s get out there and help the little guy!

I want to hear your thoughts, add your comment below!

Filed Under: Must Reads, Tom's Ramblings
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