"Singing in the Rain!"

Your Active Rain Profile Link Menu Tutorial in 3 Easy To Follow Steps!

This post is a continuation of  the Active Rain - Building Your Profile on Active Rain series of tutorials.

Here is a list of those tutorials so far. You can click on any of these to get right to that particular tutorial.
It is best if you go in order because these are step by step tutorials that will take you through the entire process of each section of your profile and blog on Active Rain.

Active Rain- It's All In Your Name,

Active Rain Profiles- How To Get Mileage From Your Active Rain Profiles,

Your Active Rain Profile- Make It Shine For You 

How To Add Image Tags- Optimizing your Images' Tags

How To Make Buttons For Your Blog and Profile

This link tutorial is not about inbound links, outbound links or interlinking within your blog and website.

I have written tutorials on how to build your links within and to your blog.
This tutorial is a simple tutorial on setting up the links that go on the right sidebar of your blog like this:

Click on the add/remove links tab you see. Once you click on this tab it will take you here:

Here is where you will add your links that you want to have stationary on your blog.

Just add the link address in the box shown here.
Then add the link text you want to be in the box.

This is what it looks like after you have added some links.
From here you can move the different links you have up and down to place them how you want them to appear.

It is that simple, just 3 easy steps!

• Always check your links by clicking on your links to make sure they take you to the right URL.

• It is a good idea to be check all your links on a regular basis, like once a month and repair any broken links.

Some tips for links:

1. Your website should be one of your links.
2. Your ActiveBlog should be one of your links.
3. Use good keywords for your link text.
4. Highlight some of your own online activities, such as a link to your hobby blog.
5. Have an link to your IDX Search site

If you want to know more about how to get good keywords, find good keywords and what the keyword thing is all about; I invite you to join my SEO TO THE TOP Webinar.

The next session starts on April 22nd. 

        

Your Active Rain Profile Link Tutorial in 3 Easy To Follow Steps! by Katerina Gasset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

 

By TwitterButton

 

 

Inman news is having a photo contest.

"Send us your best single photo that captures the state of the residential real estate market, for a chance to win a   $200 gift card from Amazon.com. Your photo submission should be in digital form and must be sent via e-mail or available for viewing on the Web. The photo can be color or black and white. The photo should tell a story about the housing market and it should not be a marketing or promotional photo for a particular property, company, business model or individual. The contest deadline is March 31, 2009."

See the complete rules here: Inman News Photo contest

I can't enter because I am one of the judges.

I got the picture of the power lines in Central Illinois. It was a very lucky shot as it was taken from the car window.  I wasn't driving but we were going about 70 at the time. I focused and put my camera in burst mode. Burst mode comes in handy.  It works for capturing sporting events and some times in low light situations, or when taking photos from a moving car.

A couple of weeks ago I did a portion of our Monday Sales Meeting for Century 21 Liberty Homes. The biggest thing I wanted to stress to our agents was that the Art of Blogging is the biggest part of marketing our business and our expertise in representing our buyers and sellers. 

It turned out to be a great meeting although it's taken awhile (and will take awhile) for some to really grasp the idea that putting effort into internet marketing is one of the best marketing tools there is. I also stressed the fact that I am a few years ahead of them with my internet marketing and if they don't hop on the bus quick they'll miss the ride....and are missing it as I spoke.

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It is a proven fact that the first place that 75% of people looking to buy or sell homes go to research is on the internet. Then....they contact an agent. If you can get your listings, your website and your blogs going you can add your information for the consumer to see first...before they contact someone from the newspaper. Guaranteed.

Our company enters our listings into the MLS and Crestedg (Century 21) systems but these additional sites you will have to sign up for and enter your listings yourself. It is imperative that you market yourself and your listings on as many sites as possible as the market for listings take longer to sell and we obviously have to watch our budgets as well. Give information on your area, sites as well. The consumer wants to know everything about the community...not just the listing and your skills.

Remember that your headline for each listing (if the site allows) should be geared for your local market area where the property is located (i.e. Mililani Mauka Townhouse for Sale, Royal Kunia Home, Ocean Pointe Energy Efficient Homes and so forth). These titles are what Google Search will pick up and it just may get onto the first page when buyers enter the search term.  The title of each article you're writing for the buyer or seller should include something for your niche marketing and area.

The following links are free or low cost sites that you can sign up for and enter your listings into to give your listings, your information for buyers more exposure. The more marketing that you do for your seller's property will show your seller that their property is getting the maximum exposure on the market. 

• www.activerain.com of course is my first choice. A minimal fee per month for membership on a Real Estate Network with over 140,000+ members....but loads of google juice for your posts!  They also offer advertising, ouside blogs, Localism.com sponsorship, referral network and MORE!
• http://www.trulia.com/  is a free site that is well known nationwide and that google search picks up quick.
• http://www.zillow.com/  is another free site that is well known and that google search picks up quick.
• www.c21online.com  (after you have a listing input into our Crestedg system, make sure you have given us at least 6 pictures for the property. If you do not give us 8 photos your listing WILL NOT show on our public Century 21 site. If you do then you can go into your c21oneline account. Enhance your listings with slide shows, up to 25 pictures and music too!
• www.blogspot.com  is a free google based blog that you can write articles about real estate, area information and listings too. Not just for listings or buyers but your spiel for marketing YOU.
• www.wordpress.com is also a free web based blog that you can write articles about real estate etc. and again to market you. Write as if the consumer is walking alongside you and you are talking to them...not AT them.
• www.craigslist.com is a free site that you are able to not only list your listings but your real estate services.
• www.realestateshows.com is $125.00 per year for doing your own virtual tours with the photos you have on hand. This is UNLIMITED shows and you can also use them for buyers (doing a show for them during the transaction) listings (to enhance your MLS or other listings) and even doing area shows for your clients moving to the islands. This IS a paid virtual tour site but you can make flyers and post them to other sites, download the cd for each show and take them to Open Houses and so forth.
• www.youtube.com  You can do your own videos and upload to YouTube for free. After uploading you can insert the html code into your website/blog etc.
• www.wellcomemat.com is another free video site...more professional than YouTube and they are monitored so no junk is on there.
• http://www.postlets.com/ is another site worthy of your listing. They allow entering listings and making flyers that you can print, copy to other sites and definitely eye appealing as well.
• www.realtor.com is currently for Century 21 Liberty Homes extra perks to enhance listings with MORE photos and inserting MORE of your spiel on the home. Click on the tab on the left side of the page where it says "For Realtors"; then click on "Resource Center", click on the drop down box and select HONOLULU; enter your MLS ID and the password will be the exact same as your MLS ID. If you have a listing entered into our MLS site then it will show up within 24-48 hours on their site and be ready for editing.   Otherwise, it does cost a pretty penny.

PHOTO EDITING to ENHANCE YOUR PHOTOS   www.photoscape.com  for picture editing...like cropping, resizing, sharpening, brightening, frames, adding text or objects.  What good are pictures if they are blurry, too big to put in the mls or flyers or just plain ugly? Enhance your pictures! You can MAKE them look nice...believe me!  I personally use Microsoft Digital Image (very user friendly) and Adobe Photoshop CS3 (although I only use a couple of features because I'm still learning).

The First 24 Hours- Crucial Internet Strategy for Listings   It is so important to have my game plan ready for marketing a property and giving it the best exposure possible as a new listing. Provided that the home is in "showing condition ready" those first 24 hours are crucial to get all marketing material ready and out for the public to consume. (click the link for more....)

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Bottom line, there are many sites to pay a little fee per month or some are free for flyers and such.

Invest a little....gain a lot.

Your online marketing will leave a lasting impression on the consumer...and you have given your business loads of exposure, the buyer loads of information and given the seller a very good reason to say you've done a 'phenomenal job' of marketing their property.

 

 

 

As the RE Barcamp phenomenon is sweeping the country, we in Denver, Colorado are not only on the calendar but have over 200 people signed up!

For those who are not familiar with RE Barcamp, it only started last year with the first one held in San Francisco.  The first even came together with the assistance from a group of Realtors who are very active in social media.  Several persons in the San Francisco area took on the brunt of the work, finding a venue, not once or twice but at least three times, until they found one large enough to handle the group!

It was a great event, free to attendees including lunch, t-shirt, swag and after-hour cocktails!  All this was provided by a few generous sponsors who made sure we all had a good time!

The actual event brought in more people than had reservations, yet all went well.

The format used in this event will be similar to the one we are using in Denver.  Initially we have a list of possible topics.  Volunteers step forward who have significant knowledge about the topic and lead the discussion.  Several groups will be meeting at the same time in various rooms of the venue.

Our list of possible topics include:

* Strategies of Business Blogging
* Best Blogging Platforms
* Free Online Tools to Tweak Your Biz
* Twitter Rocks the World
* FaceBook Isn't Just For Kids
* Linked In is More Than a Rolodex
* YouTube as a Business Builder
* Leveraging the Power of Active Rain
* Using Trulia to grow your business
* Tricks of Marketing on Zillow
* What makes a good Website
* Driving traffic to your website
* Lead Generation
* Click to Closing the Lead
* Building an online Community
* Marketing Your Inventory the Web 2.0 way
* Video Like a Pro
* Podcasting For Dummies (Not!)
* How Do I Work This @$%@#$ Smart Phone?
* Developing a Data Base on a Dime
* Short Sales Only Suck If You Let Them!

If you are interested in attending RE Barcamp Denver, please visit our blogsite and RSVP there.  It's too late to get a free t-shirt and lunch, but we have made provisions for you to purchase one if you do it soon.

The event will be held:

Friday, May 22, 2009
Metorlist & Armbrust Real Estate Institute
7100 East Belleview Avenue, Suite 211
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

If you are not from the area, please still consider coming. This location is convenient to many nice hotels in the Denver Tech Center, about 30-45 minutes from Denver International Airport.

May 22 is the Friday before the Memorial Day weekend.  Why not come to Denver for a long weekend and take in some sights?  I've been hearing talk from locals who plan to ski at Arapahoe Basin on Saturday. This is a very fun event where many of the nuts skiers/boarders wear their bathing suits i.e. bikinis. Whether you ski or not, it is guaranteed to be fun!