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7 Secrets to Facebook Page Success

I am sure by now we all know that Facebook is an absolute must for your business, but you may not understand why this is so important. Allow me to share a few statistics that might make it more obvious why everyone who is in business needs to have a Facebook page.

General Stats

• More than 400 million active users on Facebook
• 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• More than 3 billion photos uploaded to the site each month
• More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each week
• More than 3.5 million events created each month

Many though get confused by the personal profiles and Facebook Pages which are designated for business. If you weren't aware, Facebook frowns heavily on the use of a personal page for business purposes. In fact, I have heard of profiles being shut down because they were being used for the wrong purpose. A client of mine the other week ran into restrictions on his profile because it had too much business dealings taking place for their liking. They made it almost impossible to add friends, join a page, or even attend an event. The other thing with a personal page is that you are limited toonly 5,000 friends. Facebook pages allow you to have unlimited fans and talk about business as much as you wish. Because of these rules that are in place on Facebook, not only are more and more people joining daily, but so are businesses setting up a page is growing at astronomical rates.

Take a look at some of these stats on Facebook Pages:

• More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook
• More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day
• Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans

In a constant effort to provide the best content for our clients, 210 Consulting is bringing in one of the most proficient people on the planet about Facebook Fan Pages, Mike Mueller. Mike has created over 150 custom Facebook pages for clients and is constantly keeping abreast of any changes to Facebook. He has also traveled around the country teaching hundreds the basics of Facebook pages and how to use them successfully.

We are excited for Mike to join us for this FREE 60 minute webinar titled "7 Secrets to Facebook Success" on Tuesday, March 9th at 2PM EST.

To register for this free class, simply fill out the form below.  Seating is limited and is on a first come first serve basis. We hope to see you there!

As many of you are aware, I recently started a new job as community manager for a company called SmartHippo.  This company is focused on helping the consumer make the most informed decision when getting a mortgage by providing a free advice section where you can ask questions and receive responses from mortgage professionals.  The other great feature that SmartHippo offers to consumers is the ability to write reviews of a lender they used.  Consumers can write all about the good, the bad, & indifferent of the lender they used to help others understand how reliable, how pleasant and everything else about their transaction before making one of the biggest decisions of their life.

Since joining the team, one of my focuses was to create tools that will assist real estate agents with the process of getting a mortgage for their clients.  One way we have been able to achieve this goal is by the design of our newest release, the SmartHippo Mortgage Rates Widget.  This widget gives consumers an easy way to compare the rates of multiple lenders in their area.  They can simply enter a loan amount, a home value, and their zip code and instantly compare mortgage rates in their area.

How does it work?  The widget searches the rates database that SmartHippo has created of unbiased rates of lenders who share their information on the network.  Buyers can then simply see the list of rates, read lender reviews, and make an educated decision on who to get their loan through. 

Why would a real estate agent want to use this widget?  In the real estate industry agents are always hesitant to recommend any other businesses because if something goes wrong the client will inevitably come back and say "you recommended this person and now it all went wrong!" When you give the consumer a third party option where they can get the information on multiple sources with reviews from actual consumers who have used the company and expressed their opinions about the service they received.

So what does this look like? Take a look and tell me your thoughts:

Mortgage rates by

Get this widget

How do you get the widget installed on your blog or website?  It is actually really easy to do. Simply visit the Mortgage Rates Widget page on SmartHippo, and grab the code needed to install this widget.  The steps are really easy to do and this widget can be installed in less than 2 minutes time. Here is a simple video on how to install:

I hope this new widget is a benefit to you and you consumers!  Let me know what you think of it!

It is no secret by now that social media is a huge component to any real estate agents marketing plan.  Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are so important in generating new contacts and increasing business.  But, with the constant changing of tools, new applications, and new platforms emerging, it can become overwhelming quickly as to which are effective and what isn't 

Join Jason Crouch and myself tomorrow as we will share over 35 different tools that we implement regularly in our social media marketing plan in two back to back webinars.  These 45 minute webinars will be fast-paced and give you a cursory overview of tools we love using in our business.  The class times are 12:30 & 1:30 ET. 

To register for these sessions, simply fill out the form below and you will receive an email tomorrow with a link to join the session.  Here are just a few of the things we will talk about:

• Facebook
• Facebook Business Pages
• Posterous
• Google Alerts
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Mobile Apps for Blackberry & iPhone
  

Obviously, we will be cover a lot more than listed above.  As mentioned these sessions are completely free to anyone who wishes to attend.  Seating is limited to 25 seats per class and will be on a first come first serve basis.  If you can't attend tomorrow's session, fill out the form anyways and we can add you to our mailing list to keep you informed when this class will be taught again.  Make sure to fill out the form below completely & correctly so we can contact you tomorrow with the webinar information.

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

IF you have any questions, please let me know.  Also, if you are unsure of our teaching style, fill out the form at the bottom to sign up for our free webinars on Thursday February 25th.

Website Linking Strategies- Are your efforts paying off?

I wrote the other day How to Get Your Website to the First Page of Google which received an awesome response from many. One of the main points I discussed in that article was the importance of linking in your blog posts. I explained how this can be a vital part of your Search Engine Optimization and if done properly can bring great results.

Many questions were asked in the comment section as well as a few practices that were used by commenters that I wanted to address.  Before I get into that, let's do a quick review of what I'm talking about.  In that post I said:

"The more sites that are pointing links at your page (especially when titled with the keywords you are trying to achieve) will produce a great return.  One easy way to get some great links pointing to your site is to make sure you have added your business site to your profiles on any and all networks you participate in.  Links from higher ranking sites help the search engines realize that these sites recognize your website." 

Many who read the post I believe stopped reading there & rushed off to their twitter profile, Facebook profile and every other social network they participate on and started adding links.  But, if you read on, there was a very important disclaimer that went along with that statement.  I said: "One thing for sure, you need to be positive that the links you insert places are actually working for you.  Many networks block the search engines from following the links to prevent spam."

A common misconception is that when I place a link online, that link is automatically recognized by the search engines and is benefiting me each time I place it somewhere.  So, every time there is an opportunity to place a link, the instant notion is to place one.  Don't get me wrong, I am not saying do not place the link just because the search engines are not reading it.  I always place a link when there is a place asking me.  Even if the search engines do not follow it it still can bring a consumer reading that site to me. 

So, how do we know whether the link is a benefit or not?  What can we do to check?  As I have shared in the past, I am huge fan of using Firefox as my web browser because of the amazing add-ons they have to enhance & help you analyze your online presence. Firefox has an add-on called NoDoFollow.  This simple add-on can easily be turned on and off and show you whether the links you are leaving are being followed by the search engines or not.  Here is quick video showing you how NoDoFollow works:

Try using NoDoFollow and see how effective your linking strategies are.  My guess is that you will be surprised by some of the places that links are followed and not followed.

Anchoring Your Links

Another common mistake I see when inserting links is not setting them as anchor text.  What do I mean by anchor text? Anchor Text as defined by Wikipedia is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink.  Think of them in the most literal play on words possible, they anchor the link down for search engines to understand what that link is supposed to be.  So when you are writing your posts, instead of placing a link like this, http://www.eventbrite.com/event/581158260 you would make a link like this: How to Chug Google Juice & Gain 15 Years of Fame.  Not only does this assist the search engines in understanding what you are trying to say, it also assists consumers to know what they are about to click on. 

If both of those links were placed in a blog post, my guess is that the one with anchored text would be clicked on at a ratio of around 5:1 to the other link.  I wrote how to insert links into your blog a few months back, so if you are not sure the proper way to do so, visit the tutorial for assistance.  While this seems like a minor thing, if it is done properly over several hundred posts of content, it can really pay off in large dividends. 

Titling Your Links

This is another minor step that can help both consumers & search engines understand what you are trying to convey.  When adding a title to the link, it does exactly that, titles the link for everyone.  That way when someone hovers over a link, a pop-up appears with what that link is supposed to be.  So even though the link anchor might be Jason Crouch, and the link is to his profile, the title is completely different pops up when you hover over the link Jason Crouch.  Once again, a very minor thing to do that can result in many more clickthroughs and SEO benefits.

I hope this helps everyone have a better understanding on linking strategies.  If you have any questions, let me know. And by the way, 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors offers some really great personal coaching taught by myself and Jason Crouch on this subject.  We also have a webinar coming up where we will get into this in more detail.  Find more info here.

Photo Credit 1HappySnapper(photography)& John of Austin

The concept of getting your website to the first page of Google seems like an almost impossible task to many.  People spend months writing more and more content for their site, getting backlinks, and editing things without ever getting your website to the first page of Google.  You feel defeated when your site stays on page 17 and just won't budge.  Then one day you get a call from a company who promises “if you give us $395.00 per month, we will put your site on the first page of Google.” The part that these telemarketers neglect to mention is that the moment you stop paying them, your website will drop faster than lead balloon.  As a former real estate agent, I used to get these calls regularly.

So, how can you actually get your website to the first page of Google?  Well, there are a couple of really basic principles that you’ll need to implement.  The “basics” are just that – basic.  Before I share these, first you need to learn to not over-complicate things.  Here are 3 easy steps to getting your website to the first page of Google:

1. Good, solid, keyword-rich content. So what is quality keyword-rich content? Basically, it’s content that gives something of value to consumers and search engines.  You need to have keyword-rich posts that answer the questions your consumers have.  Do not just spit out some random words and call it a post.  If you write just to write and do not really have purpose, you are basically wasting your time if you are trying to get business.  Develop a gameplan for your content and stick to it.

Ten well-written, targeted, keyword dense posts will bring a greater result than 100 posts that are thrown together quickly, with topics all over the place, and which contain piles of typos, grammatical errors, and more.  This is a prime example of the principle of quality over quantity for the greatest result possible.

2.  Writing Consistently on Your Blog. Many times people start working on getting their website to the first page of Google and after the first month or so they simply give up. One of the key factors to getting your website on the first page of Google is to consistently offer fresh content on your site.  The easiest way to do this, of course, is to integrate a blog into your page.

You don’t need to have a Masters degree in English to have an effective blog.  You just need to publish 2-3 good, quality posts each week that offer valuable content to your readers that are also written with your primary keywords in mind.  One of the biggest excuses that I hear is that a business does not have time to write.  According to HubSpot, businesses who blog receive 55% more visitors than companies who do not.

Here’s a simple time management strategy:  On the weekend or whenever you have a few spare hours, (watching a football game, relaxing by the fire, etc.), sit down and write 2 or 3 really good quality posts.  Then, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you can launch these pre-written posts.  You can then take the rest of the week to respond to comments, etc.  To the consumers and search engines, it appears as though you have written new content on three different days.

This practice is far healthier for your rankings than writing a bunch of content one day, then waiting 7-10 days to write more.  Why? The search engines are constantly visiting your page to index more content.  The freshness is important when it comes to Google’s indexing algorithm.  Also, they see a constant stream of new stuff instead of a bunch on one day, then a week of dormancy until you get around to posting again.  This is also helpful for your consumer audience of readers.  If you publish 3-4 posts all at once, the likelihood of those posts bringing you good consumer traffic from those subscribed to your blog is minimal.  Most consumers will read maybe one post, but will not have the time, attention span, or energy to read multiple posts.

3.  Link, Link, Link! The more sites that are pointing links at your page (especially when titled with the keywords you are trying to achieve) will produce a great return.  One easy way to get some great links pointing to your site is to make sure you have added your business site to your profiles on any and all networks you participate in.  Links from higher ranking sites help the search engines realize that these sites recognize your website. 

It is kind of like when Oprah endorsed KFC’s new grilled chicken promo.  In no time, there were over 2 million coupons printed and many were left missing out on the promotion because of lack of supply. Links from reputable sites make your own site seem more reputable. 

One thing for sure, you need to make positive that the links you insert places are actually working for you.  Many networks block the search engines from following the links to prevent spam.  (I will be writing more about this in the future.)

Another great way to get links, is to ask your friends and family members to place a link on their blogs, websites, etc.  Two things with regards to linking: do not pay a link farm service.  Search engines don’t value these links – I could go into great detail about why, but just rest assured that it’s a waste of time and money. The other tip is to not do a reciprocal link when possible.  This means, if your brother links to your site, do not put a link back to his. 

A detour. An easy alternative to reciprocal links is to have a link triangle. In this case, your brother links to your site, you link to your parents, and your parents link to your brother’s page.  All links are one-way and none are going back and forth.  The more links you can have pointed at your site, the better it will help in getting your website to the first page of Google. You can think of each link as a “vote” for your site.

If you implement just these three tips, it will help get your website onto the first page of Google.  Obviously,  there are plenty of other factors that contribute to this phenomenon.  If you take these and not only integrate into your website, but also into your blog, the most vital part to your website, you will start seeing results in a rather quick fashion. These three items I discussed alone can make or break the effectiveness of a website. 

If you have any questions, let me know. And by the way, 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors offers some really great personal coaching taught by myself and Jason Crouch on this subject.

Photo Credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mklingo/245562110/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiderpop/2798740868/

This class is going to be jam packed with many of the different social media networks that Jason and myself use in our daily business routines.  Not only will we share which ones we use, but also show you how to optimize your efforts on each.

Join Us This Thursday For Agents Helping Haiti, a Telethon to help families devastated by the recent earthquake in Haiti.  This 6 hour telethon will feature 30 minute segments with some of the most well known people in the real estate industry.  Come listen as they share some of their tools and secrets they use in their daily and support this cause. 

12 Top Real Estate Experts 12 BIG Ideas

12:00PM Kendra Todd- Shares of her trip to Haiti & REALTOR® Experience

12:30 PM Jeremy Blanton- How to Write a $10,000 Blog Post

1:00 PM Laurie Moore- How to Keep Your Foot Out of Your Mouth and In the Door

1:30 PM Frances Flynn Thorsen- Risk vs. Reward REALTOR® Foreclosure Pitfalls

2:00 PM Jason Crouch- The Importance of Building an Online Following

2:30 PM Ken Golde- Distressed Agents: Settling Your Own Debt

3:00 PM Jim Cronin- Social Media.  The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

3:30 PM Special Guest

4:00 PM Joeann Fossland- 6 Figure Referral Business Using Strategic Partners

4:30 PM Special Guest

5:00 PM Patti Kouri- 100% Intention- 100% of Your Results

5:30 PM Jay Kinder- 65 Million in Sales... How to List 500 Homes a Year

If you haven't heard by now, we are in 2010, (twenty-ten, two thousand ten, or my favorite, oh-ten) and as this new decade begins I see this year becoming more of a shift in the way consumers gain the information they need as well as how other consumers share their experiences with others.  I read an article the other day about consumer review based site Yelp being offered 500 million from Google to be purchased.  Yelp, however, turned down the offer from Google.

This being said, I really feel that as this year carries forward you will see more companies adopting the principles of consumer based reviews and question/answer sections on their sites.  The other day, I heard of a company called Formspring which allows you to easily add a Q&A to any site that you use.  This is a free service that takes virtually no time to set up, but could be very beneficial to your business.  Why?  Well, it is rather simple:

1.  Gives consumers an easy place to ask you questions about your business or your area.

2.  Gives you the ability to share your knowledge in a non publication type of arena with consumers.

3.  Allows consumers to find answers to other questions they may have without needing to fill out a form & feel as if someone will begin spamming them for business.  They can simply look through past questions & answers and possibly find what they need.

I said all this to get to the point of my post which was to tell everyone about what I have been up to these days. In addition to recently starting my own Social Media Consulting business with Jason Crouch called 210 Consulting, I also recently started a new job as a community manager for a company called SmartHippo.  SmartHippo is a site designed to allow the consumers a place to come and ask questions of lending professionals and receive free top quality answers directly from lenders.

Another awesome feature that SmartHippo offers is a platform for consumers to write reviews of the lender they used to benefit other consumers.  This should help to raise the bar of customer service provided by lenders as well as give other consumers a place to come and read unbiased opinions of a lender before making the largest decision of their life. A customer can read whether the rate quoted online was the same they received, the loan closed on time, the lender was prompt in returning calls, etc.  SmartHippo's main focus is to empower the consumer with as much knowledge as possible before getting a mortgage through these lender reviews. 

The last thing that SmartHippo allows which I think will be very beneficial to real estate agents is the ability to refer your customers to a site where the buyer can compare ALL the rates available in their area.  Unlike other sites that offer similar things, they will not be selling the leads to the highest bidder.  This means that buyers can see all the rates available in their area and make their own decision based on the reviews of the lender, the Q&A responses of the lender as well as the rate offered by them.

As a real estate agent, I see this being a great new tool to offer to your buyers to assist them make an informed decision on a mortgage as well as keep you from having to "recommend a lender" which we all hate to do for the liability associated with it.  You are no longer needing to make up lists of available lenders to share with a buyer or anything.  We all know how awkward that moment is when the buyer asks you "Which lender would you recommend?" You simply give the buyer a website and allow them to get all the information they need. 

So what are my duties with this new position?  Well, as the community manager, I have a few different roles.  The first is to help build our community through various different social media platforms.  (YouTube Channel, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc.)  My other main task right now is to create and manage our community blog that will consist of some of the top bloggers in the lending industry.  This includes writers like Ken Cook, Eleanor Thorne, & John Cannata.  The community blog known as "The Herd" will provide valuable content to buyers who are in the process of purchasing a home. I hope over the next few months to add several other top notch bloggers into the community.

I am really excited to join up with this SmartHippo and am really looking forward to what the future holds.  So, if you are unfamiliar with SmartHippo, please take a few minutes to check out their site here.  I think this can be a great tool for your customers to "Join the Herd, Save Money" as their slogan states.  Also, check back on my blog over the next few weeks as I will keep you updated about some really exciting features & updates of what is happening at SmartHippo!

Visit SmartHippo Now!