ActiveRain - The Official ActiveBlog

Real Estate Marketing Plans: Most Effective Marketing of 2011

ActiveRain Corp. — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:46:13 -0500

Real Estate Marketing Plans

Do you have your real estate marketing plans for 2012 ready?

With SO MANY alternatives for real estate marketing plans, are you confused on what to do in 2012?

So as you develop your 2012 real estate marketing plans, here is some great food for thought:

ActiveRain, the largest blogging platform and professional social network in real estate, conducted a survey of 1,910 real estate professionals asking the simple question of "what is the most effective real estate marketing or advertising that you do?"

The results:

Referrals (including word of mouth and sphere of influence) were overwhelming the most preferred marketing with 26% of responses.
Blogging was #2 with 13% of responses. (Keep in mind that the survey was conducted on ActiveRain, so these results may naturally be skewed to blogging).
Direct Mail continues to be incredibly popular. Direct Mail includes post cards, mailers, and newsletters. Direct Mail also received 13% of responses.
Internet Marketing as a general category received 12% of responses. Our assumption is that Internet marketing is generally speaking pay per click marketing on Google, Yahoo or Bing or lead generation from a number of different sources.
Networking Networking includes partner referrals and face-to-face meetings. Face-to-face networking received 8% of the responses.

(Share these stats - link to this article: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2641172/real-estate-marketing-plans-most-effective-marketing-of-2011)

As you can see based on 2011 real estate marketing plans, real estate professionals continue to favor more traditional offline, "tried & true" hand to hand real estate marketing techniques. Though the general bucket of Internet marketing & blogging are equivalent to direct mail, the top marketing techniques tend to be more offline - referrals, direct mail, networking, working with past clients, open houses, door knocking and cold calling. Hard to know if ActiveRain is the same as blogging and if Zillow or Google are the same as Internet marketing, but interesting to see that from a response perspective, that Open Houses are more popular than any one web site AND Door Knocking is more preferred than CraigsList and FaceBook.

When real estate professionals were asked, "What is the most effective real estate marketing or advertising that you do?" only a small number of real estate web sites were mentioned in reasonable frequency: ActiveRain, CraigsList, FaceBook, Zillow and Google. Of course, blogging and Internet marketing are large categories with a lot of different companies. But there were very few mentions of Wordpress or other ways to market online. Noticeably absent were Trulia and Realtor.com Though we believe ActiveRain is a very powerful blogging platform, fans of ActiveRain are likely over-represented in the survey. Kudos to Zillow to have name recognition equivalent to Google in the real estate industry.

For 2012, here are the key questions to ask:

How important is developing your REFERRAL BASE? How are you going to do it?
Are Blogging and SEO part of your 2012? If so, what to do - ActiveRain, Wordpress, Blogger, or other?
Direct Mail continues to be an important part of the real estate professional's marketing mix. It is amazing, but true. Direct Mail allow neighborhood targeting unlike online marketing. What kinds of direct mail campaigns will you be using?
Internet Marketing needs to be part of your 2012 marketing mix, but there are a lot of options from pay-per-click advertising to lead generation to Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com

ActiveRain is great place to start the learning process to figure out the best Internet marketing strategies to achieve your personal and financial goals in 2012!

Share this blog post! Either blog about it or share on your social networks. Link to and reference this blog if you use this content: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2641172/real-estate-marketing-plans-most-effective-marketing-of-2011

How To Get Started on ActiveRain

ActiveRain Corp. — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:08:36 -0500

How To Get Started on ActiveRain - A quick route to a successful Journey on ActiveRain.

The ActiveRain Staff, along with our members and ambassadors, wish to welcome you to the community. We know you have a choice, and we're glad you've chosen our network as a place to connect with others, support your local neighborhoods and communities, plus grow your business and relationships.

Before you begin your journey here, there's a few areas we invite you to navigate first. This will save you time and give you a better understanding of the Network. We're confident that our site will bring value, benefits, and substantial rewards to you and your business.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
These are REQUIRED and a MUST READ for ALL New Members - NO EXCEPTIONS!

What We Stand For - Weltenschauung
Weltanschauung: The guiding principles and philosophy of an organization. A world view.

The ActiveRain Community Guidelines
Please take these rules seriously.

ACTIVERAIN UNIVERSITY
Get live training weekly to make your blog the best it can be

ActiveRain University Schedule - Classes every weekday
Learn the ins and outs of ActiveRain and how to utilize it to the fullest with our live trainer.

ActiveRain Orientation - A Live Webinar to get you acquainted
Steve, our live trainer takes you through the basics on the site to get you familiar with ActiveRain

ActiveRain University Suggestion Box
Don't see a class you would like us to create? Make a suggestion to us for future classes.

GETTING STARTED in 3 EASY STEPS
Follow these next steps to get setup on ActiveRain.

How To Complete Your Profile - Part II
Your profile has three areas that allow you maximize the page. Learn How to use these sections.

How To Use Your "My Settings" Page
Now you are ready to Customize your ActiveRain Settings.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF ACTIVERAIN
Social Networking, Connecting and Blogging

ActiveRain Member Success Stories
Read what other industry professionals and members have to share.
Here's A VIDEO version

Understanding ActiveRain Points
Learn about points and how they work on the network.

The RainMaker Membership
Becoming a RainMaker - The Value and The Benefit

READY TO MAKE LIGHTNING, THUNDER AND RAIN
Now that you're a member and RainMaker, put the power tools to work

Top 10 Tools for New Members and RainMakers
Take the time to review what this network has to offer.

ActiveRain Custom Outside Blogs
How To Create and Maximize Your Outside ActiveBlog.

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU
Use these links to dive deeper in the "Rain" if you need more information

The ActiveRainGuide
A Tutorial Blog by Members for Members

The ActiveRain Staff Blog
The Official ActiveRain TEAM Blog

Help/FAQ Group
A network group created to help members

An ActiveRain eBook Tutorial
Find Almost Anything about ActiveRain here

ActiveRain University
Online Campus for Training and Support

Real Estate RainCamp
"Live" Local Conferences and Seminars
My Blog, Your AR Resource
Your One stop Shop for all AR Tutorials

DID YOU KNOW?
ActiveRain is the TOP Real Estate Social Network in the World (source: Google)

The ActiveRain Network hosts over 170,000 RE Industry members averaging 200-300 new members daily. There are more than 1.5 million articles posted, with an average of 700-1000 new posts daily. Two million+ visitors traffic the ActiveRain network each month, over 80% are consumers. Only Rainmaker upgraded accounts receive Google trafﬁc to their blogs and posts. ActiveRain Member's Blog posts receive more than 500 views on average. Activerain is the ONLY on-line Network that offers this wide variety of tools, diverse services, and proven solutions to the Real Estate Industry Professional and for consumers on the WEB.

Best of Luck and Enjoy!

ActiveRain's New URL Shortener

ActiveRain Corp. — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:58:29 -0500

How many times have you tried to link your ActiveRain post on Twitter or another site only to get the response that the url is too long? Well Happy Holidays, ActiveRain has a gift for you.

Once you have written and posted a blog post you now have the option of generating a shorter url.

Simply go back into your post and click Generate short URL. Take a look at the screen shot below:

I hope many of you find this useful and take advantage of the new url. Here is what Lenn's shortened URL looks like once we generate the shorter URL for the post in the screen shot above.

The shortened URL for this post is http://actvra.in/45. As you can see, the shorter structure uses the actvra.in domain.

In order to see how many times someone has clicked on that shortened URL, you can go to the 'statistics' area of your 'my home' page in order to track performance. It will show you how many times each shortened URL has been clicked.

And an added bonus to deal with the continual onslaught of spam......

Let's call it a stocking stuffer. To help with the spam you may see occassionally, we've now made it so only logged in members can leave links in comments. Our hope is that it cuts the spam down drastically. Fingers crossed!

Happy Holidays!!!

Kerrie Greenhalgh

Social Media Buttons and Icons - Is Someone Pushing Your Buttons?

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:45 -0400

Social Media Buttons and Icons - Is Someone Pushing Your Buttons?

During these past few weeks, since adding the "Signature" option to ActiveRain posts, I've received so many requests, calls, and emails regarding how to add "Social Media Buttons and Icons" to the footers of Blog Posts. You've probably seen many of the various types and styles other members are using on their Blogs which poses the question, "Where Are They Getting These?" Here's some sites I've found that offer you these custom buttons for FREE. This includes for personal and commercial use according to their terms and guidelines.

Here are some Links to Literally Thousands of Buttons and Icons:

My Social Buttons

Royalty FREE Icons and Clip-art

WebTreats - 2000+ Buttons

Brian Brumpton "RainDrops"

DivaGeekDesigns - An Icon Overdose

The Value of A Twitter Search

Open Source Hunter

Instructions For Adding Buttons and Icons to the Signature or Footer of Posts:

Once you've downloaded the Social Media Buttons or Icons of your choice, you can add them to your AR Signature Page (including the appropriate links) by going to your "My Home" page on AR, then select the "Settings" link on the left hand sidebar. Just upload the button or icon into the "Signature" section of the page, add the appropriate link to your image, then click "update" to save. That's it!

One tip I would suggest is to be careful which Icons you select for some of the Social Networking Sites. If the Icon or Button isn't a familiar looking one, then visitors might be less likely to click on it. For example, the cow face, what Social Network or site does that one belong to? Maybe visitors would click on it just to find out? (LOL~) With all these Buttons and Icon styles available, one thing for certain is that your signature can be unique. So have FUN!!

This should give you plenty of options and creative ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd. :-)

Social Media Buttons and Icons - "The Buttons You Want People To Push!"

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

The ActiveRain Point System

ActiveRain Corp. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:35:25 -0500

The ActiveRain Point System

ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you with a general overview of how points are earned and distributed to all ActiveRain members.

ActiveRain points are earned based on a member's individual activities and efforts. Points are accumulated over the course of the calendar week which starts Monday morning at 12:00am Eastern Time, and ends Sunday night at 11:59pm Eastern Time.

The following are some ways you can earn points and move up the "Featured Member" ladder in your local area:

200 points for each blog post
(Max 10 per week) (50 word minimum required)
25 additional points when post is added to channels with a topic
400 points for Featured Post on ActiveRain.com
(Excludes posts featured in ActiveRain groups)
25 points for each comment
(Max 10 Per Day) (Comments on your own posts excluded)
25 points for each reBlogged post
(Max 10 per week - these do not include your own posts)
ActiveRain profile points
(Building your ActiveRain profile will build points)
Received comments on blog posts
(No blog post to exceed 475 pts.)
100 points awarded for logging in to ActiveRain each day
(This applies 7 days a week)
250 points when someone accepts your ActiveRain invitation
(Must sign up under Member's Invite Code)
10% of total points earned by new members invited by you
(Example: invited member earns 1000 pts. - you earn 100 pts.)
ActiveRain and member approved contests - points will vary
(These show up as "Bonus Points" in your Point Summary)
Staff awarded bonus points - these are issued by the ActiveRain staff
(Member Humanitarian, Paying It Forward, Helping Others, etc.)

Weekly Point Scenario: The potential of points available per week, per member would be as follows: 1750 for max comments, 2000 for max blog posts, 700 for logging in daily, 250 for adding to Channels/Topics, and 250 for max reBlogged posts. The weekly potential of points would be 4950 (this does not include Featured Posts, comments received, invitation and percentage points, contests, and staff-awarded bonus points.)

Point Disclaimer: The Points System created by the ActiveRain Network was developed and implemented to motivate, inspire, and reward members for their participation and involvement within the community. These points are subject to change at the discretion of the ActiveRain Mgmt. Team, with or without cause, warning, or notice.

How To Create and Maximize Your ActiveRain Blog Post

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:08:56 -0400

How To Create and Maximize Your ActiveRain Blog Post

The AR community has grown and evolved with thousands of new members, millions of posts, some really cool features, and great SEO and consumer traffic. Many of the members who sign up and join ActiveRain start off very excited and ready to Blog, but then find themselves stuck. We have many members who ask What Should I do Next?

Having a profile setup and then just lurking around the community, not knowing where or what to do next, seems to be an age old trend. "What should I Blog about?" "I don't have the time!" "I'm not a writer or blogger!?" and "Why Should I Blog?" are just some of the common questions and concerns I hear time and time again.

It's time to get some answers. It's time to get your "Blog" game on!

ActiveRain members have created a very powerful on-line resource for both members and consumers that is second to none. There is ton of information here covering a wide variety of topics and discussions. So where do you find out what makes the ActiveRain Blog Post different than any other Network or Blogging platform out there?

What tools and options are available and how do you use them? How is Blogging on ActiveRain different than blogging on Wordpress or Blogger? Do you have questions like these and are you trying to make cents sense of it all? In just one hour, we're not just going to tell you, we're going to show you. If content really is King, then knowledge about content and "How To" must be Queen!

What's taken years to learn (through trial and error) will be shared with you in a "flash" of time, if you want it.

Click Here To Learn How To Create and Maximize Your AR Blog Post

* The Blog Cycle and Purpose - Connecting All The Dots
* What's The Difference Between a Website and A Blog
* Finding "Your" Blogging Voice and Transparency
* The Keys to Building Your Blog Resourse Library
* Where to Find Unlimited Content for Blogging
* What To Write and Blog About and Why
* How to Create Powerful and Inviting Blog Titles
* What Makes Bad Content vs Great Content
* How to Generate MORE Traffic and Leads
* How to Track Statistics and Use Analytics
* Strategy on Using Keywords and Tags Effectively
* Why Achor Text and Back Linking Are Crucial
* Using Channels, Groups, and Topics as Tools
* What is The Truth and Power of the ReBlog
* The Evolution of Posting Listings - What's Changed
* When, Why, and How Often To Create New Posts
* Using Syndication to Get Maximum Exposure
* Understanding SEO on ActiveRain and Outside Blogs

The purpose of ActiveRain and this vibrant network is to provide a community atmosphere where Industry Professionals can network, have fun, learn from each other, share their knowledge and experiences, and grow their business via referrals, SEO, and Blogging. If you're new to ActiveRain, or you've been lurking around for months now, or you've left AR and now you're back, or maybe attended a RainCamp and you're just not sure what to do next, I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity and join us. It all starts with YOUR Blog!

Important Note: This training is open to any and all members. Some tools and information we'll be sharing will only apply to RainMaker memberships. We'll explain the differences, and also provide you the opportunity to explore the "RainMaker" membership with no risk or obligation if you're interested.

EDIT 6/1/10 10:00pm
"Try This Link To See If You Can Watch The Recorded Session"

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

New ActiveRain Widgets for ActiveBlogs

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:56:38 -0500

He won't admit it, but Rich Jacobson is addicted these little things so I have to keep testing them out and requesting them for HIS Blog! This isn't the first time I've written about Widgets and Rich, and it won't be the last. haha! Those who know me well, know all about my Widget World fetish. lol~

Seriously, while most of you were sleeping and the other late night Bloggers were posting...(like me), our AR Tech MASTERS released another update for the Outside ActiveBlogs. I had said earlier that these were coming and when I heard they were here, I just couldn't sleep. Then when I saw this, I just couldn't resist squeezing out a quick post.

Widgets for ActiveBlogs. This feature is limited to our Outside Blog users who have Individual or Group Blogs. Although these widgets will display in all browsers, Internet Explorer 6 is not a supported browser for "managing" your new AR Widgets. We suggest that any IE6 users Upgrade Your Browser.

We've added a topic/category widget and support for some third party widgets. Be sure your posts each have a topic/channel or this widget will pull up blank results. (I would go back and edit posts if need be)

Screen shot of the "Edit Widget" mode on your Outside Blogs. Next, is one of the coolest Features yet...

Members can now reorder their widgets with just a simple drag and drop process. WOW! These guys are good! This is the coolest Widget Feature ever!

No more code, no more embedding, no more errors, and no more wasted time trying to figure out how to install these little gizmo's on your Blogs, just a simple user interface which allows you to add what you need to customize and get the maximum "Widget" power from your new ActiveBlogs. But wait, there's more...

I saved the best for last:

ActiveBlogs & SEO

SEO Upgrades for ActiveBlogs. (Again, limited to Outside Blog users) The high point is our automatically generated Site-map which helps Google (and other search engines) more quickly and accurately index these Blogs. Now with the ability to search Local posts, topics and categories, and add widgets, this altogether will make these Blogs ROCK. I know where you're going next...

Be sure to stop by Rich Jacobson's Blog, I'm sure he'll have every "Widget" available right on his sidebar. That is, if you can get your computer to stop crashing from the lag caused by his widget-happy blog page!

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

Top 10 ActiveRain Tools for NEW MEMBERS and RainMakers

ActiveRain Corp. — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:14:40 -0400

I've been out doing office presentations these past few weeks, and sharing with Brokers and Agents what ActiveRain is all about. In my travels, I have found that as new members join ActiveRain, it can seem a bit overwhelming because there are so many members, tools, great posts, and let's face it, there's a ton of information here.

So Where do you go and what do you do once you hear about ActiveRain?

The first step is to just sign up, the second step is to setup and create your ActiveRain profile, and the third step is to write that first post. To help new members with these steps and to try and simplify the process, there is a "Getting Started" post that helps minimize the frustration some experience their first few visits here.

The most common question I get is "What tools does ActiveRain offer to help my Business?"

Having useful tools in your "Toolbox" is great, but if you don't know where they are, you're not using them, you don't know how, or you never open the toolbox, then none of them will present much value? Hopefully this wil help some of you that are new to the community.

Here's the "TOP 10 ActiveRain Tools" and in no particular order:

10. Advertising on Activerain can get you some great exposure. Nearly 150,000 members, and over 2,000,000 visitors each month. We have numerous options available through channels, Activerain pages, the Daily Newsletter and the Top Spot on the Feature Board.

9. Go Hyper-Local using Localism.com Creating content on ActiveRain for your Localism Blog can be a huge resource for your local communities and neighborhoods. The worlds most complete neighborpedia. Sponsoring a community is easy and inexpensive.

8. Building a Profile is more than just your picture, company name and phone number. Member profiles CAN generate Subscribers, Traffic, Associates and Business. Take the time to make your profile your masterpiece. Your Profile can be just as powerful as a website.

7. Outside Blogs have become one of ActiveRains leading tools for members. There's No need to learn a new Blogging platform. It's easy to set one up and there are plenty of tools and widgets to help make your custom outside Blogs successful.

6. Vision - Do you know what your prospects are thinking? ActiveRain presents a new vision for success. IDX and Leads are great to have, but you'll need the tools, a plan, and the follow-up / follow thru to make any lead generation tool become a success.

5. Hit Router - With over 100,000 City searches on ActiveRain recently, you could generate some great leads via your IDX. Set up your FREE Markets, create City Search Campaigns, you can watch a webinar how to do it all. There's over 1,000,000 posts on ActiveRain which means one million plus opportunities for visitors to search for homes in your area and find YOU.

4. The ActiveRain Referral Exchange. Be sure to setup some alerts in your area immediately. This training webinar will help. There's even a rating system in place that can be used at the close of referral transactions. A tool every referral exchange should have.

3. Networking, Connecting, and building Associations with other Real Estate Industry Professionals on ActiveRain will increase your knowledge and resources faster than any other website or Social Network out there. Your Associates are a great reference and endorsement. You can Build your National and International Associates all in one place.

2. It's good to find Blogging mentors who have been successful. There are thousands of great Bloggers and successful members here on ActiveRain, you can see the Top 100 most subscribed to get some great ideas and to see what works for them.

1. Becoming a Rainmaker member does have it's obvious privileges. Why? (see all the above) There are many more tools, services and benefits you'll discover on ActiveRain, but these 10 are the most valuable and powerful in my opinion. Remember that joining ActiveRain and using these tools is not a "Sprint To The Win" it's a "Marathon To The Victory!"

Sometimes finding support and answers to your questions can seem like a daunting task, but there are some easy ways and "tools" available to help you get anything you need on ActiveRain. You can Contact ActiveRain, use the SEARCH tool, check the HELP/FAQ Group, visit the ActiveRainGuide.com for "how-to" posts and tutorials, use my profile, or you can contact our staff on-line anytime. You'll find our staff Blog at ActiveRainTeam.com.

Specific Tools are created to get certain jobs done, I hope these tools help you "Get Your Job Done!"

An ActiveRain Conduit - Toolbar for Your WEB Browser

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:30:14 -0500

The ActiveRain Conduit - A Nifty Toolbar for Your Internet WEB Browser

This may be one of my coolest and greatest inventions EVER!! If you can believe that... lol~

ActiveRain members and even non-members should consider adding this toolbar to their Internet WEB Browsers. It will work with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. The toolbar gives you easy and instant access to some of the most viewed pages and important helpful tools on ActiveRain. I think you'll find it to be a very useful tool. Here's some of the features and cool stuff it has:

The ActiveRain Real Estate Network Toolbar - Will help you "Stay Connected" easily and instantly.

Access ActiveRain.com with a single click
Pull-Down menu to select from ALL Industry Affiliates
Search the AR Network for members or any topic
One Click Access to Important Member "Must Read" info
HELP Menu for Manuals, Guides, Training & Support
Easy Access to AR Features from an RSS menu
Link to Search and Sort ALL ActiveRain Blog Posts
One-Click Access to the ActiveRain Staff and Team
Live Updates, Announcements & ActiveRain Broadcasts

You can easily download the toolbar for your specific browsers and remove it just as easily if needed. Take a moment to try it out, see some things you may not have known existed, and let me know what you think? Once you download the toolbar and add it to your browser, you'll see how easy it is. Most likely, your "wheels" will start spinning and you'll be wondering how you can create a "custom toolbar" for your Site, Services, Blog, or Clients Browsers? I'll show you how, and the best part is that it's easy and FREE!

I hope you'll check it out, I'm really excited about this one... :-)

Select YOUR Browser below to Install the AR Toolbar

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

The New ActiveRain Badges

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:11:32 -0500

The new RainMaker Badges are here! You will notice today that scattered all through-out the community, there will be many different types of Badges and Avatars both on member profile photos and in the comments left on members posts. It comes as no surprise that our tech team has once again beat me to the scene and this announcement of yet another enhancement in the rain. Badges! First off, I'd love to hear what you think about them and secondly, I'll explain what each image represents.

Pictures In Comments and Badges - How Do I Get Mine?

The Rainmaker Badge: For members who have upgraded to a Rainmaker account, have a "new" outside ActiveBlog, currently sponsor at least one Localism community, or have spent at least $10 on a listing router campaign in the last 30 days. In addition to the new badges, we also now display product icons below a user's comment image that will show how they're using and supporting ActiveRain.

(your photo will show up in the comments if you're using at least one of these ActiveRain products or services)

Badge Legend / Representation:

= The RainMaker Badge

= The Listing Router Badge

= The ActiveBlogs Badge

= The 300K Point Member

= The Localism Sponsor Badge

Here are some samples of members badges that were selected from comments in my last post.
Coming soon to members near you, the "NEW" Ambassador Badge, which I'll save for another post...

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:46:09 -0400

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines.

There are three important audiences to be writing for: 1. Other members and friends of your Social Networks. 2. Consumers, Subscribers, and a Target Audience of readers. 3. Search Engines. I'm sure this is preaching to the choir, but this is important information to be shared if you want to get maximum exposure and results from your Blog posts with consumers, visitors, and with Google. Google Juice? I'll drink to that! :-)

Blogging for Customers and Search Engines correctly is a key component to a successful Blog.

Using these effective strategies and time tested methods when creating your post can make a huge difference. The first thing when writing a post is to determine the audience you are writing for, the product or concept you're promoting, and the geographic market you are targeting. In this scenario, we are creating a Blog post to drive readers, consumers, and search engines to your Blog which is All About Your Area. Things like "Vacant Land", "Open Houses", "Loan Modifications", "Tax Credit", "Pest Control", "Relocation", "Market Statistics", "Short Sales", "Condos" etc.

1. How to title a blog post: Use a title that a customer would type into Google. example: "Open Houses in Mesquite Nevada" Targeting Neighborhoods and focusing on Communities are best, but you can also use City/State. Most searches by consumers always include a geographic area. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" Don't just title your post "Vacant Land For Sale" as it probably won't get indexed to a specific location and will likely get lost in the Search Engine Abyss. (SEO abyss = page 24 of Google)

2. Repeat the title in BOLD in the first sentence of your blog post. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" and now priced better than ever! Build your dream home in Bend, Oregon!" By creating the first sentence of your post to include the title and BOLD key search words, terms, or phrases, you'll increase the potential of being found and then read. That first sentence is typically the first sentence that shows up under your TITLE within the Google search results. It's an important part of getting the search engines to recognize your topic and see it's relative content. It's also what will help a consumer decide if they want to click on your link or NOT!

3. Write your blog posts to the title...then add in good content that a customer would want to know about. It takes a bit more time to think this strategy through, but the results and rewards will be tremendous. This in NOT the only way to gain SEO and more exposure, but it's a great place to start if you're new to Blogging and are wanting quicker results from your time and efforts here.

Creating posts and Understanding Long tail and Short tail search terms: Short tail searches are just that, very short keyword searches. example: "Homes for sale" or "Homes For Sale Austin, Texas". This is where most searches begin during the early stages of research by consumers. The Long tail search comes into play the closer consumers get to making a final purchase decision. example: "Gated Community Homes For Sale With a Pool in Austin Texas" Justin Smith explains more about Long tail/ Short tail searches in his post. You can also find more details by searching Google for "Long tail and Short tail searches." Here's a video that might help make heads or "tails" about this.

4. Go through your blog post and make sure that the words of your title are repeated a minimum of at least three or four times. At least one time every other paragraph or so. You should also bold those keywords so they stand out to the reader and to the search engines. You need to be somewhat creative in doing this and remember, don't over do it.

5. Tag your blog posts with other keywords and phrases the customer may type into Google. These should be topic related and relevant to your post. Do not try to game the search engines by packing in keywords that have nothing to do with the post, this will do more harm than good in most if not all cases. Also make sure to include images and links to relative sites, this will create more stickiness and add value to your posts.

Creating a Blog Post for Customers and Search engines is not that difficult once you understand some of these basic concepts and then practice and apply them on a regular basis. This is not to say you shouldn't write about other topics both personal and business, even those can be tailored to get you better results with customers and search engines. We tested this theory on the Fourth of July Weekend and you should see some of the results ActiveRain members experienced. It really does work.

I hope you can use these tips on "How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines."
VERY IMPORTANT: If your post on ActiveRain is (MEMBERS ONLY) then none of the above applies.

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

The ActiveRain Starter Kit

ActiveRain Corp. — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:08:15 -0400

In your "Starter Kit" is everything you'll need to get started here on ActiveRain.

"Here's an Updated (7/4/09) Shorter Version for those
with MINIMUM TIME who need to get up and running"

Take your time and read through each post in the order they are listed below, this will save you hours
of frustration, anxiety, and that feeling of being overwhelmed when you first join our community.

Welcome aboard!

Before You Begin:
It's Important to understand what ActiveRain is, how it works, and what's expected.

ActiveRain Community Guidelines

The Terms of Service may be a little dry, but this is a "must read" for every member.

The 10 Guiding principles and philosophy of our network and community.

ActiveRain’s Weltanschauung

How do you become a RainMaker on ActiveRain?

The "RainMaker" Membership

This details of RainMaker Memberships are detailed here.

The New Membership Plan - 2/16/09

Now Take the Video Tour of ActiveRain.
Learn To Navigate ALL the areas available in our community.

ActiveRain Navigation for New Members

Understanding The Point System and How to Become the Featured Member in your area.

Understanding The ActiveRain Point System

Getting Started in 3 Easy Steps
Now you're ready to get started. Follow these next steps to get setup on ActiveRain.

Creating a personal profile is the very first step and the most important. This is where members and visitors will go to see and find out all about you. Make sure you take the time to setup your profile correctly, it's important and it's easy.

How To Setup Your ActiveRain Profile

Your profile has three areas that will allow you to maximize it's potential. It's better than a website.

How To Complete Your Profile - Part II

Now you are ready to go into your settings and customize ActiveRain how you want it.

How To Use Your "My Settings" Page

Setting Up Your ActiveRain Blog
Before you create your first Post on your Blog, here's a few tips to help you do it right.

5 Principles to Creating an Effective Blog Post

Now you're ready to write your first entry, get the most out of your first post.
(Don't be afraid and stop now, this is why you're here!)

Using The ActiveRain Channels and Topics

What are ActiveRain Channels and how you should use them.

How To Create Your First Blog Post

Making your Blog personalized and unique is what differentiates you from other members.
Change background, headers, colors and more.

How To Customize Your Blog

ActiveRain offers FREE Outside Blogs in addition to the one you've just created.

How To Setup Your Outside Blog

Individual / Group Outside Blogs and Domains are also now available.

Creating an Outside Blog in 10 Easy Steps

Use the ActiveRain Listing Router to direct Visitors and Traffic to your IDX site

How To Setup Listing Router and Save Your Own Traffic

How To Setup Your Own Click Campaigns

Setting Up Your Outside ActiveBlogs
This will help you understand the value, the benefits and how to setup Outside AR Blogs.

Many members have created their own outside AR Blogs.

What are ActiveBlogs

Creating your own individual or outside Blog on ActiveRain is easy.

How Do I setup My own Individual/Team Outside Blog

Customizing your outside Blog and adding widgets you need.

New Widgets for Outside Blogs

Some key points and facts to know about your Outside Blog.

5 Important Tips about Outside ActiveBlogs

Additional Tips, Tools, and Things You Should or Might Want to Know
You are now ready to advance to some of the more powerful tools available here for you.

3 Ways To Use ActiveRain Referral Links

20 Google Tools for your Blog and Business

What's a Widget? How to add them

Top 200 FREE Sites

Some Advanced SEO Tools and Information
What is SEO and How to maximize it on ActiveRain

SEO Tools - You should know about SEO

ActiveRain settings and SEO Benefits

There will be more posts added here as they become available. If you need any assistance or have any issues at all, please contact your ActiveRain support Team at support@activerain.com or just click on this link to "Contact ActiveRain." You should also visit the Weekly Top FAQ series.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Other Related Sites, Groups, and Articles:

New Members - Start Here
Bloggers Startup Kit
ActiveBrad's eBook Manual
Help/FAQ Group
The ActiveRainGuide
The Help/FAQ Series

Tips about Your ActiveRain "Settings" Page

ActiveRain Corp. — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:22:57 -0400

Tips about Your ActiveRain "Settings" Page

So much has changed since my initial post from 10/07 regarding the ActiveRain "settings" page. I'm creating an updated post for our new members joining the network. To access your settings, make sure you're logged into AR, then go to your "MY HOME" link located at the top of any page. Next, click on the "Settings" link located on the left hand side of the page. I'll explain each section of the "settings" page below.

This is your Blogs Title. Be sure to give this one some thought, it is the theme of your entire Blog.

Your Blog Description. This is an important area of your "Settings Page." This is where you can add Widgets and their HTML codes to your Blog. This includes any ActiveRain Approved Widgets that are available.

This is your Blogs Description. (Text Only - NO HTML Allowed Here) This is where you should describe your Blog, it's content, and it's value to your readers, but remember the SEO opportunity. You are limited to 100 words, so focus your description and keywords. This is often times the most overlooked area by new and existing AR members. Maximize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Allow Non-Member comments. Be sure you have this box checked, otherwise readers who are not members of Active Rain will be unable to comment on your post. Unless all your posts on your Blog are members only, I would make sure it's checked!

Sharing your comments. Your comments are already shared in the posts where you've made them. If you want other members and readers to access "All" your comments in one easy access location, you can check this box and allow them, it's your preference.

Twitter Settings. Enter your user name. Be sure it's the one you have setup on Twitter. Detailed Post Here

Add your password for automatic Twitter updates. You may also wish to tweet your "Members Only" posts. By checking the box, you are allowing your "members only" posts to be broadcast over the twitter network. If you don't currently have a twitter account, you can get one here at Twitter.com

Your Email Settings. This is a very important part of your settings page. You have to decide how you want your email notifications to work and be managed here. Do you want to get emailed every time someone adds you as an associate? What about the comments you'll receive on your Blog Posts? How about the groups you've joined, the founder or administrator can do mass emails to the group, do you want to be notified? There is even manual score and point adjustment email notifications. This is really up to each members own discretion.

Under the General Settings, the option to allow others to see when you are on-line is no longer available. This feature will be removed in a future update and release. It was available when the member count used to appear in the upper right corner of AR pages.

Reblogging Option. Reblogging allows others to "ReBlog" your posts on ActiveRain. If you check this box, other members will have to option to Reblog your content on their ActiveRain Blog posts. To find out more about Reblogging and how it works. Click Here.

Hit Router Settings. This is one of the Super-Power features on ActiveRain. Over 100,000 consumers use this per month on average. The Hit Router allows consumers to search specific geographic areas for homes from nearly every Blog post and AR profile. Be sure to setup your Hit Router, maximize Hit Router and create your Market Area Campaigns when you leave this post. This is a great lead generation tool for directing traffic and visitors to your IDX sites and listings. Here's some important information about Hit Router you'll want to know about.
The Final and MOST IMPORTANT TIP HERE: Don't forget to click on the after making changes.

A--------C---------T---------I---------V-----------E-----------R------------A------------I-------------N

This next section is actually part of your "My Home" page, but let's cover it while we're here.

My Comments. Here's where you can go back and track every comment you have ever made on Active Rain. Use the "My Comments" link to go directly to any post you have ever made a comment on.

Notifications. This is a new feature that allows you to review comments made when you've checked the "Notify Me Of Comments" on another members post. They can also be deleted from the list here.

Points Summary. This is a breakdown of points earned. It shows your total points on Featured Posts, comments, regular points, inviting new members etc. ONLY YOU can see the breakdown of your individual points.

Statistics. How many comments do you receive? How many views do you get on your post? How many clicks are your posts getting? It's all on this page. Another great feature of the Statistics page is that you can see every post you've ever submitted on AR. Using the stats page will help you determine many things about your Blog and posts.

Associations. These are other members that have added "YOU" as an associate. When you add someone as an associate, don't forget to put a comment in the box at the bottom of the page. When someone adds you as an associate, hopefully, you'll reciprocate. In my opinion, this is one of the best reference and referral here.

Invite Others. Use this link to send an invitation to someone who is NOT currently a member. When you invite other Real Estate Professionals, and they accept, you will be credited for their membership and get a percentage of points for everything they do on AR. You can also send an invitation outside of AR, just be sure to use the proper link so you can get credit for inviting them.

Blog Bookmarks. This will take you to ALL the posts you have bookmarked on AR. We all get the comments from members that say "I've Bookmarked Your Post!" This is so they can be referred back to at a later time.

Link To ActiveRain. This page will give you the options and graphics to place links and images on other websites and Blogs. It allows you to promote your Blog and membership here at AR. You can use these HTML codes on most outside websites and Blogs.

Review Pending Outside Blog Posts. Another new feature, this allows you to deny or approve other members posts to your Outside ActiveBlogs. Depending on how you setup the admin rights will determine how you end up using this feature. You can find out more about Multi-Authored Outside Blogs here.

Feel free to modify your AR settings anytime. Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what each of these areas and links covers. If you have any questions on how to do ANYTHING here on ActiveRain, there are hundreds of instructional posts available that I can point you to, or you can just ask me, and I'll find you the answer. Thanks and Enjoy!

Blog Tips for Rain Drips

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:36:20 -0400

The following archived articles are from a series I began a while back entitled "Blog Tips for Rain Drips" and were designed to provide needed instruction in the finer points of blogging/social media, and to help our members derive the most benefits/value from their involvement here on ActiveRain.

"The Road to Remarkable"

"Rants, Rights, and Reputations - Lessons in Online Behavior"

"Embracing Change in the Rain"

"Jing adds Bling to Your Digital Conversations"

"Roost Media Toolkit for Facebook"

"Referrals in the Rain"

"Conquesting Creative Constipation" or "Overcoming Blogger's Block"

"Social Media Sushi - Developing a Social Media Strategy, Part IV"

"Taking AIM - Developing a Social Media Strategy Part III"

"The 'Why' of Social Media - Developing a Social Media Strategy Part II"

"New Series: Developing a Social Media Strategy"

"Hello? McFly! It's called 'Social' Media for a Reason!"

"Learning the Balancing Act of Social Media"

"Perception vs. Reality"

"Don't Waste Your Time on ActiveRain!"

"Attracting Great Clients thru Blogging"

"Overwhelmed by the Technology Learning Curve?"

"Your Blog Stimulus Package"

"Taking the Hype out of Hyper-Local Blogging"

"And the Password is!".....

"When I Search My Name, Nothing Comes Up!"

"Don't Turn Your Blog into a Refrigerator Magnet!"

"Would You like a Side of SPAM with those Comments?"

"How to Balance Your Blog"

"When in Doubt, Read the Instructions!"

"Rain-Vitations: Your Ticket to a Higher Score"

"Bring Back that Loving Feeling: Building Community"

"How to Kreate Kwality Kontent"

"How to Engage Your Blog Readers"

"Forgive me, Father, it's been 3 weeks since my last blog post!"

"Is Your Blog a Brick Wall?"

"When is Your Blog like a Toxic Waste Dump?"

"The 3 Powerful 'P's' of Posting"

"What is Comment Junk Mail SPAM?"

"How to Sabotage Your Own Blog"

"But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express"

"Roxanne, Glamor Shots, and Casper the Ghost"

"Is it possible to be TOO Transparent?"

"Monsters in the Blogosphere"

"What is a Straffing Run Blogger?"

"Playing Fair in the Blogging SandBox"

"Are You Feeling a 'Draft' in Here?"

"How to Write Good Hyper Local Content"

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed professional real estate broker providing Relentless Representation and Knowledgeable Empowerment for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, HomesByHarbors.com, SoundBiteBlog, Everyday CK, @KitsapAgent and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail: kitsapagent@gmail.com

The ActiveRain RainMaker - Getting Results!

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:13:17 -0400

The ActiveRain RainMaker - It's More Than Just A Membership!

The Real Estate Industry has had a pretty rough ride these past few years and many Industry Professionals that remain are desperately trying to find new and creative ways to survive. Many are turning to ActiveRain because they have heard and seen that this is where they can learn how to use the Internet and Blogging to their advantage, and turn around their business.

ActiveRain is more than just a Real Estate Industry Social Networking community. In the past 2 or so years, the network has grown from 20,000 members to well over 150,000 to date. On average, 200 new Industry Professionals join each day. ActiveRain get more than 2,000,000 visitors each month, with about 80% being consumers. The community accounts for nearly 12,000 new blog posts each month, and currently hosts over 1.5 million Blog articles provided by members. The average rainmaker post gets over 500 views per month.

What do ActiveRain members get as Rainmakers?

A Referral Network with Access to over 170,000 Real Estate Industry Professionals

Exposure and Access to over 2,000,000 visitors to ActiveRain monthly

Create Hit Router and Home Search Campaigns using your IDX

A Personalized and Customizable Outside Blog including Domain Name

30+ Themes and Templates to select from to enhance your Blog

The ability to add Multi-Authors and Contributors to your Blog

Custom Created ActiveRain Widgets and Tools for ActiveBlogs

Access to Localism for posting Hyper-Local Content - The NeighborPedia for Consumers

Customer Service and Technical Support - Coaching, Consulting, and Training available

ActiveRain SEO and a Hyper-local Architecture Optimized (raindexed) for Search Engines

What are the "Benefits" of a RainMaker Membership?

Many in our community have posted articles about their success and ROI (return on investment) from their RainMaker Blogs. We have seen countless testimonials from ActiveRain members who have experienced first hand the results and business that gets generated solely from their ActiveRain Blogs. Members share their "Real Life" stories of how effective Blogging on AR can grow your referral business, consumer business, and relationships within the network and within your local community and neighborhoods.

Here's what some have to say:

"When I first started on AR, I got many friendly e-mails and comments. I think this gives AR a personal touch. AR does work. I signed up for Rainmaker last month and will be writing a contract for a buyer who contacted me through one of my posts." Vanna Siackhasone

"I have gotten several clients and some agent referrals directly from AR and continue to learn from the posts of others, hoping that I can share whatever I can too." Susan Neal

"I have learned so very much from these wonderful people on AR! Best real estate site on the Internet, and I am happy to be a part of AR!" Ginger Moore

"In May 2007, I started walking in the Active Rain (ok, maybe crawling) and by the end of the year we had made tens of thousands of Washingtons directly from blogging leads." Erion Shehaj

"AR has helped my business tremendously to the tune of 11 closings to date." David Serle

"ActiveRain has put me on the map. I receive at least THREE calls each week, just because my name comes up on the first page of a Google Search. These buyers already know about me before they call. Those that want to make their business happen, will become rainmakers, and they will find the way to be successful." Don Bradbury

Here's some Recently written Blog Post Articles:

The Points are Nice - But I Really Like The $$$$ - By: Erik Hitzelberger

ActiveRain - You're Really Bugging Me - (34 Referrals) - By: Larry Bettag

ActiveRain Brings Business Success - By: Missy Caulk

Read 1000's of ActiveRain Success Stories - By: ActiveRain Members

What kind of Support can I expect from ActiveRain?

ActiveRain provides training and support for our RainMaker members. Learning how you can use geographic and hyper-local content to optimize your Search Engine Visibility and drive more traffic to your Blog and Website is the key. We can and will help you. You'll learn how using tools like, inbound links, outbound links, keywords both long-tail and short, along with photos and a good post title can greatly improve your search engine rankings and help your customers find you on-line. We provide Customer Service and Technical support via AR Webinars, Tutorial posts, and through our Community Builders and ActiveRain Ambassadors.

How Do I Become an ActiveRain RainMaker?

It's simple. You must first join ActiveRain and become a member here. Once you have setup your profile, and reviewed the "How To Get Started On ActiveRain guide" you can either upgrade your membership from your "My Home" page by clicking on the red "RainMaker Upgrade" link, (be sure you're logged in to ActiveRain first) or you can click below to...

Become A RainMaker

ActiveRain is the TOP Real Estate Social Network in the World (source: Google.com)
Results 1 - 10 of about 60,100,000 for Top Real Estate Social Networks

ActiveRain is the ONLY on-line Network that offers this selection and wide variety of tools, diverse services, and solutions for the Real Estate Industry Professional. The RainMaker Membership - get value, get results.

Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"