OK, these are presented in any specific order... but over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting up useful tools for real estate agents to utilize in a Web 2.0 world. There are so many tools, sites and technologies... and every day there are new ones entering our sights.
For many here, the first tool is going to seem like a no-brainer...
Active|Rain...
There are three aspects of Active|Rain, and I think that a real estate agent that wants to compete in a Web 2.0 world needs to leverage all three in order to accomplish that goal. Each has a specific purpose, and while there certainly is overlap, each fulfills a specific purpose that is beneficial to agents in a different way...
Let's start with Incredible Learning Opportunity...
There is no secret among those that have surfed around the site for more than a minute or three that there is a LOT of great information... free for the taking... right here on Active|Rain. There are scores of the greatest minds in real estate sales right here... EVERY SINGLE DAY. Bryant Tutas, Lenn Harley, Brian Brady, Midori Miller, Ken Cook, Jon Washburn, Jeff Turner, Pat Kitano, Missy Caulk... and I could list 100 more. And this isn't like some "MasterMind" seminar where the interaction is minimal. These people are here, they are on FaceBook, Twitter and other sites. They are interacting with everyone that chooses to interact with them. They are at the REbarCamps, they are at REtechSouth, NAR Conventions or other events. I have met (like in person) most of the folks on that list. Whether it is technology, sales techniques, presentation tweaking... just about anything... these folks have the inside lines. Even the free membership has full access to all of these people and more... And writing "Member's Only" posts allows you to not only share, but ask the community for help or advice.
And then there is Google Dominating Blogging Opportunity...
One of the future tools I am going to cover is WordPress... but for now I think we need to spend a few minutes talking about Active|Rain RainMaker blogs. These things have the juice... Google Juice. Sure, you can load up a self-hosted WordPress blog, tweak it out with a custom theme and set it up with all of the coolest plug-ins. But after doing that, until you start getting the love from Google, nobody will know you are there. And that takes time... Active|Rain has the system tweaked right out of the box.
So, you can grab your own domain, like GwinettGarageGuy.com, and have a blog that is ready to go. It doesn't need to be tweaked, tuned or rebuilt every few months (or days). Instead of thinking about the plug-in updates and the new version of the platform that just came out today, you can just blog. There are some modifications that can be applied, but compared to a full-blown, self-hosted blogging platform, it is quicker, easier and at least as powerful... and FAST.
But, one of the primary reasons to blog is because of the longtail search and attracting business through search results. EVERYTHING that needs to be done in the background to make RainMaker blogs rank well with search engines is done... And the staff of Active|Rain, the Ambassadors and even the other bloggers will share all of the tips about writing content that you could ever want... content that WILL get you to the top of the search engines for the terms you want to target.
But wait, there's more... Localism Opportunity...
Maybe you've seen it... maybe not. But there is a part of Active|Rain that is strictly consumer facing. I think it still needs a little work, but the concept IS where the web is going... The web is going local. It is kind of funny... when the internet first started to show its muscle, the allure was that everything in the world was at our fingertips. We could use it to learn about strange and exotic locations half a world away. And now we are finding that one of the most powerful things about the World Wide Web is that we can find out what is happening around the corner and even in our own neighborhood.
And Localism is a network built on thousands of neighborhoods. The neighborhoods are networked into towns, the counties and states. Consumers can surf through neighborhoods and find out about them, see what is happening and even pictures and videos. Maybe they are interested in buying... maybe they are just keeping a pulse on where they live.
Being a RainMaker opens up Localism to posting. Sure, sponsoring a community is a way to crank it up another notch, but writing quality, local material is the way to reach consumers, and Localism is another way to showcase that material... pointed towards the communities in which we work.
So...
To
compete in the RE.net, in a Web 2.0 world, Active|Rain is an indispensable tool. If you aren't a RainMaker, you should be... Talk to your local Ambassador. And yes... I am an Ambassador. If you are in GA, feel free to give me a shout. If you are already a RainMaker, and want to ratchet up your performance, talk to your local Ambassador... I am working on setting up a local seminar on tweaking Active|Rain for better results. I haven't even touched on the benefits of tuning your profile...
***See comment #5 for an update...
New posts in the series...
Impress With WordPress... Tools for Web 2.0 Agents, #2
8 Tools #3A "Sweet Embeddable You"... before
8 Tools #3B "Sweet Embeddable You"... after
Also possibly of interest...
I have bookmarked your post and will be following along, Lane. Even after 36 years, I still have so much to learn! I love it! Never boring! And you can always find a post that keeps pace with your current mood here in the RAIN!
Lane
I'm interested in following this series. I can see it will be very informative.
I love Localism, it may have won me a listing today.. I sent a prospective client there to check out my posts.
After 1 1/2 years on active rain, I am still amazed at the impact my blogs have on my placement in search engines. This quick and free placement has meant more calls from prospects and from realtors. To maximize this benefit, keep blogging (at least 2x per week) & put pictures in every other blog entry...
It seems to me that AR can't be beat as a tool for the modern real estate agent to have in the new social networking world.
I have a BIG 'fine tuning' issue ... when are you getting into that?? Who would you suggest I talk to?
Great idea for a series! Smart to put AR as #1, too Lane! I start my day here and sometimes come back for a fix at night, too.
Localism is still in it's infancy stage, while Active Rain is a teenager. This is not a knock because I want to see what it will be when it grows up. Should be a heck on an adult.
Hi Lane -- I can't wait to read your entire series, very practical with far-reaching benefits.
Most excellent post! I'm working hard to get to the Ambassador status. I love what the other parts of AR do for my business!
Hi Lane - I am looking forward to reading your entire series. ActiveRain is a fantastic place to learn, blog and reach consumers.
My only regret is that I didn't join Active Rain sooner. The sharing of knowledge, the building of relationships, and the exposure are all priceless.
Good points Lane, and somewhat like Mark, I regret not having been more active sooner...I joined back in 07, but didn't start blogging until this year...all the good stuff that I have missed...looking forward to the remainder of your series.
Wow. Thanks everyone. I appreciate each comment, and I read every one as it comes to my phone...
Susie - you know you can call me anytime. I'll help you in any way I can. Send me a message about what you are trying to tweak and I will happily give you all of the tips I can, as well as give you a few more resources...
I haven't decided for sure on the next post, but I am thinking that it will be WordPress... That one is pretty important, too.
I think ActiveRain should be number one for anyone in our industry. Unless you know it all and can do it all...
Hey good series ideas...
Hi Lane. Thanks for the start of this series. I love Active Rain....
I joined in Jan. 2007, but didn't do much W/ AR until this June ! There are numerous Localism opportunities in our area !!! I guess it's never too late !
Don't forget video...it's is huge, popular in many ways. Once real estate buyers see them, they are hooked.
Hi Lane, When I saw the title I thought "oh no" because I started a rough draft post on Realtor Tools last night and you beat me to it. :) I already see mine are different. That's the beauty of Active Rain, there's lots of different great ideas. I agree AR is awesome. I'd love to come to the local AR seminar too!
Hi Lane ~ I've been a Rainer for about two weeks and I have to agree, there's so much here it's incredible. I don't think I could put it any better than Mark did...I'm learning so much AND I'm increasing my rankings at Google - I'd say that's an unbeatable combination!
As a new Rainer, your post is especially useful so I'll be sure to watch for the rest of the series.
Denise
Nice idea for a series, Lane. One good thing about all of these tools is that they don't take up any additional space in the garage.
Lane, it is great you put Active Rain at #1 on your eight tools list. Invaluable!!
Hane, May you hit it!!!!! I'm so glad that I found it and it is working for me.
Lane: I know why you are an ambassador… thanks for a wealth of more free information.
Great post! As a newer blogger-I love, love, love seeing new info out there for me to build a better presence! Thanks and I'll keep watch for the next one!
Great idea for a series and putting AR first, as I totally agree. I will look forward to the rest of your series as most of us realize Web 2.0 is the way to grow business and be successful. Thank you.
I paid more money than I would like to say here to learn from local and national trainers. Since I found AR, I have found everything I learned is right here - free! Thanks to everyone for their contributions - we are all better realtors because of you.
Excellent info. Activerain really is something else when it comes to Google Juice. Plenty of my blogs constistently make it to the top of Google searches with the AR blog, localism blog, and the outside blog. Amazing how well they have it tuned.
Wonderful idea for a series. Wish I had thought of it?
Absolutely! Activerain is the #1 tool agents need to have today. I couldn't agree more.
Active Rain rocks! I can't tell enough people about it...but I find that much like anything in life...not everyone takes the bait and most that do, don't use it to it's fullest potential. I got another listing off my blog this week! This stuff WORKS!!! Great post and I look forward to learning more!
Fantastic stuff Lane! I think the other agents in my office are getting sick of me talking about how Active Rain has benefited me. I'll be following along with your series.
Active Rain is the #1 tool - and man am I glad I figured that one out! I look forward to your next post - wordpress.
Lane, what is the advantage to having an ActiveRain outside blog?
Thanks again, everyone...
Jen - I have most of the others laid out in my head. If you know what you want to write about, we can split it up so that we aren't covering the same ones...
John - I still want a bigger garage...
Marie - The RainMaker blogs ARE the "outside" blogs that we talk about... at least for members that have been around a while. For those that haven't, the RainBird blog is an additional "outside" blog.
***BONUS***
For those that didn't know, there is a discount running in August to get a RainMaker account for $29/mo... and the first month will only be $5. That includes getting a custom domain. Get in touch with your local Ambassador... or me. Shoot me an email and I'll get you hooked up if you don't know who your local Ambassador is...
I have learned so much in the past couple of weeks on AR. It is a little bit overwhelming. How do I find out who my local Ambassador is?
Great post today, thanks for getting it out to us today. AR is a great place to be. I've enjoyed it for a couple of hears now.
Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh
Lane, All I can say is you ROCK! I love AR. I hope you're planning to join us in Raleigh in November at the REBar Camp!
I am very much looking forward to learning more from you. I am fairly new and from what I have seen so far, expecially with SEO, this is definitely the place to be. Lots of great people here sharing their knowledge and offering great advice. It's a no brainer to be a Rainmaker.
great post...thank you for the information and your enthusiasm...
I'm looking forward to the next 7 post in the series.. Of course I agree Active Rain is the # 1 tool
Great job my friend. I will be following your series. The internet is very powerful. I urge you all to take the challenge and be one of the agents in your market to absolutely dominate the internet. Again, great post and I'm sure we will all learn some new techniques from you. Keep rocking!
Like so many others here, thanks. I look forward to the whole list.
The ListingPress Wordpress Plugin that allows you to embed MLS listings in your Wordpress blog was just released. This should make Wordpress an even more valuable tool.
#1. The MLS Listings are NOT in an iframe so Google spiders can read them.
#2. You can customize the look and feel i.e. make photos bigger, add Google Street view, etc...
ListingPress should free real estate agents from the "1 design fits all that doesn't capture leads" format of most IDX companies. (I've reviewed 89 of them and consulted with several of the biggest.)
Wordpress MU allows you to create an unlimited amount of subdomain blogs for each niche market you are in, or even for every keyword you are targeting.
I'm helping a real estate partner at www.PAHouseQuest.com push these functionalities (we're the first to do so) and will let you know how it goes.
Great post and I look forward to the rest of the series. I am getting ready to take my next steps in getting out there so I find all this very useful! Thanks!!!
Thanks everyone...
Damon - There is a post with a list of them, but I think the easiest way to find out who is local would be to go to your state list of members and look at the top few folks... Karen is the first one I ran across in VA. Then I saw Chris. One of them should be able to help you out. If they can't, I will.
Connie - I'm trying to work out a plan to justify more Bar Camps...
Sam - Kind of spammy... On the #2 post (WordPress) it wouldn't be. Also, I think you should note the cost. ListingPress is NOT even close to cheap. I'm not saying it isn't good, because I think it is... but $499 to set up and 49/mo. is pretty steep to check it out.
Looking forward to your series Lane. Starting with Activerain as the first tool was great and very much appreciated. What a great series this will be coming from one of our ambassadors that can be shared with many of the new folks here. Thanks. :-)
Looking forward to the rest of the serries. I'm new at real estate, blogging and A/R.
I looked at your comment number 5 and see I may be guilty in not including photos in every other blog.
Hi, I will park and listen.. I do love ACTIVE RAIN!!!! I have found so much information, and the people are just awesome!!! Everything you ever wanted to know is here, from all the educated individuals.. I will book mark this, and will read all your blogs...thanks for sharing!!
www.charlottelakewyliehomes.com
Lane, I wholeheartedly agree with ActiveRain being the #1 tool for the real estate agent! We Rock!
I'm new to AR and love it! It's addicting. I always appreciate learning more and this is the place to do just that!
Brad - I almost called you about this post before putting it up... I didn't want to overstep my bounds as an Ambassador.
Vickie - There should be images in every post... and I am not as good as I should be about that either.
Thanks so much for the reminder and I look forward to reading the rest.
Hi Lane: I recently joined Active Rain and this is the first response I have left and hope to master the art of blogging in the near future. I agree that Active Rain is a valuable tool for every realtor, even those of us who are not based in the USA and I look forward to checking out the other 7 tools yet to come. I live and work in the Greater Toronto area in Canada and find most of the blogs I read on Active Rain useful. Fortunately we have not had the same real estate melt down that you have and so articles on short sales, foreclosures, and listings on the market for eons have not been relevant to our current market.
Hey...I love AR...
It's #1 in my book.
Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh real estate
Great Article!
You hit the nail of the head - AR is definitely, first and foremost an "Incredible Learning Opportunity..." and for that alone I'd have to agree, it's the #1 tool that all agents should have
Three incredible reasons to be a part of Active Rain. I love my outside blog and I love Localism too. They are the coolest.
Lane, thanks for the series. I'll be sure to follow it. It's amazing what I've learned from other Active Rain members. Every real estate agent should be on AR
OK Lane, teach me something! You are right about AR, where can you find so many people that are willing to share ideas & offer up great information to help you with your business? I look forward to Wordpress 101 from you. Congrats on the newsletter feature.
I love AR, it's great to connect with so many fellow professionals from all around the country. Looking forward to future posts!
Thanks Everyone.
Donna - I wouldn't hold my breath that isn't a crash coming in Canada. Hopefully you guys will escape it though.
David - I'm old school. There used to be a | (seperator) between Active and Rain... I think. I just do it out of habit, now. The | isn't al l, though.
Lyn - It was more of an overview...
I'd still not clear on the difference between an AR blog and and outside blog either. Since I started blogging here when it was still free, does that mean I have an outside blog? I don't have the icon for it by my pictures. I'd also love to know the benefit of sponsoring localism. The majority of my posts are to localism but the current sponsor of my chosen areas doesn't seem to blog at all. What does sponsoring do for him and what would it do for me?
Jenny - For you, you would get a "Raindex" blog (the outside blog). It would cost $19/mo. you DO have a public facing blog, though.
Sponsoring allows that person to maintain a presence on the front page of the community they sponsor... nothing else. I sponsor a community, and will continue to do so. I think it is a good investment. But, if YOU are the driving force of content, YOU are going to get more benefit than the sponsor...
I am still trying to understand this outside blog thingy and I think you have done a good job of it. I am going to looking to getting me one.
Charles - it is a great platform. And pretty easy to deploy.