Looking Out From the Garage: August 2009

That's right...

Buyers are looking at homes, and they still have a choice.

Don't get me wrong, there is competition among Buyers for some homes, but the competition goes both ways.

Buyers that don't snap up the deal fast enough might find that they lose it to another Buyer.  And Sellers that don't accept solid offers might find that they lose the Buyer to another Home (Seller).

from Lane's "other" blog...

FaceBook...

I just had to get that out of the way quickly...  We all knew it had to be on the list.  There are 300,000,000 people there, and some of them might actually be looking for a real estate agent. 

But PLEASE, don't just wade in and start telling everyone that you are a real estate agent.  Put it in your profile, and maybe every once in a while you might mention something real estate related on your personal stream... but you don't need to assault the world with your "agentness". 

It is actually giving the rest of us a bad name. 

Now that is out of the way...

Get a FaceBook Fan page for your business.  I prefer to call them Business Pages.  Send your blog posts there.  Post up about your listings, open houses and community events there... but lean it towards community events...  Promote it through your blog... overtly AND passively. 

• Overtly - "Join my FaceBook Business Page and recieve updates on community events in _______" Don't be afraid to ask your readers to join your page.  Post up about how excited you are about the page... link to it... 
  
• Passively - Once you have the page up and running, you can place a widget on your blog that promotes the page by showing "wall activity" and/or fans.  Get it out there in your blog or website. 
  

People that join your Fan Page are giving you permission to market to them.  Give them value (like great community events coverage and real estate information) and don't abuse them (same boring stuff over and over) and they will tell their friends... they will actually BE YOUR FANS. 

I think that FaceBook will be more important than Google... and soon.

Google is so big it has gravity.  There is NO denying it.  But there is no "buy in" for most users.  It is a search tool for them.  But, FaceBook isn't a tool... it is a place, a community... it is part of their lives.  For casual searches, how tough would it be to change to Bing?  Or Yahoo?  Or something that doesn't exist yet?  But for casual FaceBook users, how tough would it be to switch to another platform?  How tough would it be to rebuild their network of friends? 

They are poised for scary growth...  And there isn't much in the way of direct competition...  There are competitors for various parts of their empire... pieces of the functionality... but nothing that ties it all together.  I am sure that someone will come out with something better... but the momentum will be hard to shift. 

So...

For now, FaceBook is one of the most important places we need to be able to show up... 

Just remember, Fan Page, NOT personal Profile.

This is a GREAT video.  If you think Social Media is just something for the kids (you probably aren't actually here...) you need to see this video.  It is only a few minutes. 

Thanks to Missy for bringing it up!

I'd watch this on TV several times in a row. (and this is NOT real estate related...)

Up until a few years ago, the American Rally Series (Rally America) had regular television coverage.  But that has dried up.  Too many college football games I guess.  But auto racing needs sponsors.  And sponsors need visibility to make it worthwhile. 

Ken Block is one of America's Rally aces.  He is bold, brash and talented.  He is also very creative.  He is delivering something of value for his sponsors... in a new and creative way.  He has done several videos featuring his rally cars, from World Record setting jumps to amazing driving visuals. 

This is his newest...  An infomercial for one of his sponsors.  They chew up a few minutes at the begining...  and then it gets REALLY cool. 

As a bonus, I included the first video...  Amazing.

Maybe this one should really be #8... but I just can't help it. 

I have talked about ActiveRain, WordPress, Embeddable Tools, Photography, RSS Feeds and Analytics Programs.  And EVERY single one of these things can be learned about at your local (or not so local) reBarCamp (logo linked).  I have been to San Francisco (the first rebarcamp event) and Charlotte.  I am looking forward to Lynchburg, VA (if I can make it) and Raleigh, NC.  If I had the opportunity, I would go to every event I could make it to... 

Aside from the AMAZING information absorption opportunity, there are also incredible social opportunities.  Sitting down to dinner with some of the luminaries of the re.net is actually pretty easy.  The Jay Thompsons, Jeff Turners and David Gibbons of the re.net are actually really nice and down to earth guys. 

And I should toss a plug to another event...  REtechSouth.  it isn't just like a barcamp... it is organized beforehand.  For many, it is a better environment because of the structure.  Personally, I like both for different reasons.  I have been to both REtechSouth events as well. 

So, the (almost) bottom line is...  Get together with your peers and LEARN about how to use all of these cool technologies.  Learn how they are leveraging technology and networks to their advantage.  After that, you will be better able to find out how YOU can do the same.  And honestly, each of us will favor a slightly different mix of networks and technologies.  We have to find what fits for us. 

And don't let the education stop there.  There are even more opportunities...  Take a look at MeetUp.com for local groups that may be of interest.  WordPress, blogging, Joomla, knitting... whatever. 

Now the bottom line...  Don't limit your learning opportunities to your peers...

For those that love technology, there are some REALLY cool things coming up in the Atlanta area.  For those in real estate that love technology, it is even better... 

August 26th, 2009 - Social Media Breakfast - Atlanta: 7:00am to 9:00am, Atlanta Bread Company - Town Center Mall area in Cobb County.  We will be talking about social media for business use.  As I write this, Ken Cook and I are working up some starter topics...  FaceBook Fan Pages and Twitter... and its available tools. This is NOT real estate specific. FREE (you do have to buy your own breakfast)

August 27th, 2009 - Blogging, Social Media, ActiveRain Workshop:  11:00am to noon, Garner Creek at Parkview clubhouse in Lilburn.  Blogging and real estate are a great fit, and we, as a profession, have been using social networking forever.  We will be talking about how to more effectively and efficiently utilize the "free" tools, as well as how to use ActiveRain to pull it all together.  This IS real estate specific. FREE

September 24th, 2009 - Social Media Breakfast - Atlanta: 7:00am to 9:00am.  Stay tuned for details on location...

September 25th, 2009 - NewMedia Atlanta:  This is going to be a real estate/not real estate technology workshop to help all of us better leverage all of the cool technologies to make our businesses really rock.  For those of us in real estate, Jeff Turner is going to be a presenter... and whether you are in real estate or not, he rocks.  Drop into the site and see all of the other cool speakers.  The is NOT real estate specific, but there will be a lot of real estate types in attendance.   Not free.

October 9th-10th, 2009 - Bar Camp Atlanta:  Please note, this isn't an REbarCamp, this is a regular Bar Camp.  They are starting at 6:00pm on a Friday night and I have NO idea about how it will go... I've heard that a sleeping bag is a good idea.  This is NOT real estate specific, and there will be a wide variety of technology discussed. 

Analysis Paralysis...

If you haven't heard the statement, it is summing up the "Ready, Aim Fire, Aim Fire, Aim" menality.  Basically, spending forever making the plan, and then never following through and actually "doing" the plan. 

And then...

There is the opposite side of the coin...  "Ready, Fire, Aim".  That doesn't work, either.  You can't do the plan before you make the plan... 

But in the middle... 

There is a balance where we analyze AND act.  And this is about the analytics. 

We all have our favorites.  I personally like Clicky Analytics for my website.  I like the way the data is presented.  They have a free level, and it is a great alternative to Google Analytics.  And GA is a great option as well.  In either case, the idea is to see where traffic is coming from, what search terms are being used and tune your content accordingly. 

Another great tool in the box is HitTail.  It is a site that you can use to track your searches and see what material might be good to write about in the future.  In fact, it even offers a "To Do List" for future blogs, based on the previous search volume. 

And you are likely to be surprised...

I know that I am often a bit shocked at which posts gather the most attention.  On ActiveRain, and LaneBailey.com, on LilburnDwellings.com.  in each case, I see posts that I don't expect have great traffic.  I see other posts that are never stellar... until looking at 30 days, or even 90 or more days worth of data.  I have a post that has over 10,000 views, but it is never on my most viewed list for the day... or even the week. 

Other posts have to be looked at OFF the grid.  I have a post that garners a reasonable number of views, and few comments... but people call me about that post.  Obviously it speaks to them. 

So...

• Plan
• Write
• Analyze
• Adjust
• Write some more
• Analyze
• Adjust
• Repeat. 
  

And don't worry that your plan is different than my plan, or Midori's plan or even Mike's plan.  We are all different people. 

The listing said to call before visiting the home.  The listing sheet said that the alarm code was in the lockbox.  I called... the agent reiterated that the alarm code was in the lockbox. 

The house had a keypad deadbolt.  The lockbox contained a code that accessed the deadbolt. 

It was NOT the same code as the alarm...  The alarm code was missing.  Of course, this was hard to communicate to the listing agent on the phone, as the blaring of the siren was drowning out everything else.  To top it off, she thought I was at a different house... 

My buyer and I walked out to the front of the house.  He asked what we were going to do.  "Close the door and wait for the police... the agent says the system is monitored."  We waited. 

The listing agent was frantically trying to get the alarm code from the seller... the WRONG seller.  She was having ahard time understanding the address over the sound of the alarm.  So, when she called back with the alarm code, it wasn't correct.  Alarm sounding again... 

Still, no cops. 

We sat down on the stoop. 

My buyer asked if we should leave...  "Nope.  If the police are going to respond, I want to be sitting right here talking with you, not driving away."  He thought it was a good point. 

Here is our friendly neighborhood police officer...

He rolls up expecting a dog on premises... in addition to whomever set off the alarm.  I give him a card and tell him there isn't a dog.  We chat for a few minutes.  And then I get a call from the listing agent.  She has the right code.  We get in and look around. 

The conversation with the cop was quite friendly.  By waiting for him and not presenting a threat, he was comfortable when he got out of his cruiser.  Since we had all of the documentation he would need, in our hands... and our hands quite visible, we were all comfortable. 

It could have been a lot different...

We could have tried to leave... that would be suspicious. We could have blamed the cop for showing up... that would be rude, he was just doing his job.  We could have just been angry... but there wasn't anyone there to take the anger out on, and so it wouldn't have been productive.  Even blaming the other agent wouldn't have helped.  She had left the code in the box... 

It would have been nice if she had the alarm code at her fingertips, but I don't think it is fair to expect that... 

The point is that by staying cool, and not developing an attitude, we sailed smoothly through something that could have gotten REALLY annoying. 

As it is, the house is still on the "Possible" list... 

RSS...  Really Simple Syndication.  Rich Site Summary. 

Most of us know what it is... but few are really leveraging it to help create business or simplify our lives... 

For those that don't know, RSS is a news feed.  Basically, by subscribing to a website's RSS feed, each time the site is updated, we will get the new material either emailed to us or in a "Feed Reader". 

I guess the easiest place to start would be the "making our lives easier" aspect. 

I don't know how many different blogs and sites I read...  I admit that I don't read all of them every day, but I generally read about 30-40 posts on about 100 sites almost every day.  Real estate, technology, politics, local events, cars and travel are all on my reading list. 

In order to scan each of these sites each day to see if there was a post or article that I was interested in would take at least an hour... probably closer to two.  Add in the time to actually READ the material...  I wouldn't have time to do much else. 

Frankly, I enjoy the reading.  I want to be informed and up to date on what is happening in the world... and around the corner.  In a way, it isn't much different than those that liked to scan several newspapers each morning.  Except it is WAY faster (only having to look at headlines or short intros) and WAY cheaper (since the sites are free to read, unlike having several newspaper subscriptions). 

So, it is making my life easier... cheaper... greener... and more time efficient.  At the same time, I can be more up to date on world and local events, as well as other information that is interesting to me. (Personally, I use FeedDemon as my reader, but you can use Google's reader, Mozilla or even Outlook)

But what if the goal is creating business?

OK, there is the obvious that if we are keeping up with industry news and trends, we should be better able to respond to the market...  But there is something deeper... 

Local expertise!

Some of the sites that you might be able to get daily feeds from might include local newspapers, local chambers of commerce, local businesses, local groups that promote events... and if you are one of the first to know about all of these happenings that are around the corner, you can be the local expert.  Starting the discussion about property tax increases, changes in garbage collection, zoning hearings, roadway improvements, new developments and business relocation means that you can rank for those terms... the terms that people in the area might use to search.  Being on top of the search engines for local terms means that locals will read your blog... and that YOUR RSS feed will be one that THEY should subscribe to. 

So, you also need to make your RSS feed easy to find for site visitors.  You want to be part of THEIR regular routine.  Of course there is real estate sprinkled in to your site, so your readers will see you as the expert... the "go to person" for local information. 

And when someone asks them about real estate... you are already the expert. 

But why worry about the RSS?

According to the stats on my site, I have approximately 8 times as many people reading me on a given day via RSS rather than directly on my site.  That is valuable traffic.  The best traffic is local traffic...

I just got the confirmation from Corey at Garner Creek at Parkview.  We are going to be presenting a seminar and discussion about Active Rain, blogging and Social Networking at GarnerCreek at Parkview in Lilburn on Thursday, August 27th. 

The program will start at 11:00am, and lunch will follow at Noon. 

I'm pretty excited.  This was one of the first things I thought about when I entered the Ambassador Program here at Active Rain.  There is so much great information here, and getting the word out has been a priority for me for a long time. 

I have often referred to blogging at the centerpiece of a solid Social Networking plan, and I think that Active Rain is a great place to do that blogging. 

We'll only have about an hour, and I want to make sure that there is plenty of time for questions...  So, here is what we are going to cover:

• Why blog?
• Why Active Rain?
• How can we incorporate blogging and Active Rain into a comprehensive social Media plan?
• What other Social Networking sites should we consider a presence in?

We will also be talking a little about WordPress, FaceBook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and some of the tools that we can use to make all of these things easier to integrate.

Directions to Garner Creek at Parkview

Take 285 to Hwy 78 E, Exit onto Hugh Howell Road and follow the loop under 78; Turn RIGHT at first light (Lilburn – Stone Mountain Road); Turn RIGHT at next light (Old Stone Mountain Road; becomes Five Forks Trickum); Turn LEFT at second light onto Garner Road; Turn RIGHT onto Irwin Court WELCOME TO GARNER CREEK AT PARKVIEW

1145 Morgan Garner Drive is on the right corner  after you pass through the gates.

*****Here is the follow-up post.*****