Internet Marketing Blog | VT Web Development Blog

Union Street Media Welcomes Kevin Chambers as Client Services Manager

by K.C.

May 23rd, 2013

I have two recommendations to someone starting a new job at Union Street Media; #1 get a haircut to make yourself photo worthy and #2 put your thinking cap on immediately after the haircut because you’ll be writing your first blog post after less than a week on the job.

Through dumb luck I find myself batting .500 on the above recommendations to start off my career as the Client Services Manager for our Real Estate team. I really couldn’t be happier. The crew here embraces a work hard, play hard ethos and a sense of warmth that is beyond refreshing. That same genuine warmth is evident in every manner of communication with Union Street Media’s partners. One only need look to my predecessor’s deep involvement in the interview process, devoting her last two days of employment to bringing me up to speed or providing me with her personal contact information as testament to just how much everyone here cares about our clients success.

So a little bit about me. A native of Cape Cod, MA, I’ve lived in Stowe, VT for close to a decade now. When not fixing up our historic home, my wife and I can be found skiing, biking and enjoying the best of VT, usually with our dog, Simon, along for the ride.

My career has focused on account management and sales for small, growing web technology companies. The bulk of this experience was with Inntopia, a pioneer in the travel reservation software service, which swelled significantly during my tenure. I look forward to leveraging my experience in growth phase SaaS applications to create efficiencies that streamline the Union Street Media experience for everyone.

A great foundation has been laid at Union Street Media. I feel lucky to step into a situation with such a robust feature-set, astronomical client retention rate and well deserved reputation. As Client Services Manager for the Real Estate division it’s my job to collaborate internally and externally to build on past success while looking towards the future. I encourage that collaboration to begin in the comments section below.

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3 Off-Site Marketing Techniques for Realtors

by Allyson Locke

May 13th, 2013

As a real estate agent, you know how important it is to use your website to gain and nurture leads. However, with the way that the web has evolved, we now have to start thinking about using other channels, as well. Having a well-rounded Internet marketing strategy is important in an age where people look for information about a company via other sites and sources, and not just search engines. Here are some ways to increase brand awareness and business online that don’t involve updating your website:

1. Video

Creating engaging and interesting videos is a great way to increase business. By setting up a YouTube account, you can easily share company or listing videos not just on YouTube, but on your other social media channels, too. Here are a few action items for using video to market your real estate company:

Create video tours of your listings (see example video below).
Film yourself or other members of your company explaining the services you offer and the benefits of working with you.
Showcase your local area with videos of different towns or neighborhoods.

2. Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay Per Click, or PPC, campaigns are the paid advertisements that appear in the Ads sections at the top or to the right of search engine results pages (see example ad below). You can create ads that target specific keywords and specific geographic areas, and they will only appear when people are searching for something relevant. PPC ads can be very effective because they advertise to people who are actively searching for a product, service, or piece of information that you offer. You only have to pay when the user clicks through to your website. Here’s how to use PPC to drive more traffic to your site:

Set up a Google AdWords or Bing Ads account.
Create campaigns targeting real estate in very specific towns or areas, or targeting certain property types.
Use narrowly focused keywords in each ad group, and direct visitors to the most relevant page on your site.
If you aren’t comfortable creating ads on your own, contact an Internet marketing professional for assistance.

3. Social Media

People aren’t just looking to a company’s website for information anymore; they’re searching Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other social media channels. By creating engaging social media accounts, you’re opening up opportunities to connect with potential clients and improve your brand’s image. Here are some ways we recommend real estate agents take advantage of social media:

Post links, images, and videos of your current listings.
Promote upcoming open houses.
Connect with users who Like your page by asking questions and replying to their comments.
Let people know about new listings and price reductions.

For more tips on Internet marketing for real estate agents, read one of these related posts:

10 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Real Estate Listings

Pinterest Tips for Brands

Tips for Engaging with Your Customers on Google+

Tags: Internet Marketing for Realtors, Real Estate Internet Marketing, real estate social media
Posted in Internet Marketing, Real Estate Websites | No Comments »

Client Testimonial: Doreen Coones of Berkshires’ Monarch Realty Inc.

by Ted Adler

April 30th, 2013

Here in the Union Street Media office, we regularly trade stories about projects that we’re proud of, but as soon as we got this testimonial from Doreen Coones at Monarch Realty in Adams, MA, we knew we had to share it far and wide. Building and maintaining a website is a challenge, and it’s great to hear how our process and our people have helped to surpass Doreen’s goals for her new website.

“Union Street Media rocks! We LOVE our new webpage, www.monarchrealty-ma.com, and our customers LOVE it too! Because Monarch Realty Inc. is growing by leaps and bounds, we needed a more modern, user friendly and eye-popping website to accommodate our expansion. Union Street Media is a God send! We are so thrilled with the classy, resplendent, welcoming look and design and atmosphere of the site; it is more beautiful and user friendly than we envisioned! Not only is it alluring to consumers but it is so easy to use! We have already received so many compliments from people who love our webpage and our new features! Customers specifically admire the property search formats, the new listings layout, the interactive map and the ability to sign up for listing updates. By far, the most popular new feature is our mobile site! Our customers have stated it is the best mobile site they’ve visited and it is now the only one they use!

We owe our new found internet success to Union Street Media! The entire team of professional and caring people are a pleasure to work with! Everyone, from Dan Kompass, the Business Development Manager, to Joe Mester, Web Developer, work with you every step of the way while turning your website dreams into a live, vibrant site on the internet!

I wanted a web design company who could meet my goals, provide uncommon expertise, and one who afforded a continuing relationship after the launch of my website. After searching the internet and examining several companies, the only web design company that stood out above the rest was Union Street Media. Upon speaking with Dan Kompass, the Business Development Manager, I was sold!

Dan was incredibly honest, knowledgeable and understood exactly what I needed in a website. He patiently explained the price structure, design process and gave me an estimated completion date for my project. The contract he emailed was easy to understand, contained all the project details and the contract price matched the verbal quote. The best part of all, there were no hidden costs! The actual cost we were charged matched the projected cost! Thank you Dan!

Ariana Wammer, Production Manager, was with me every step of the way, ensuring my complete satisfaction with each phase before we progressed to the next step. She made the whole process a comfortable experience. Her insight and understanding of what I wanted for both the design and administrative end of my website, gave me the confidence my website was in good hands. Thank you Ariana!

I was fortunate to land Normandie Hyatt, Graphic Designer, as my website designer! What a wonderful, dynamic & creative woman! I did not realize Monarch butterflies, colors & formats could be so tricky and mind-boggling! Thankfully for me, her young daughter lent a helping hand with the butterfly. Determined to create a website the way I wanted, Normandie put on her thinking cap and went to work. Upon my first site preview, I was astonished! Her design was better than anything I envisioned! She exceeded my expectations for my Monarch Butterfly and color scheme on the first attempt! I fell in love with the whole sight right away! Thank you Normandie for your lovely daughter, all your wonderful ideas and for your keen intellect of my desires.

Allyson Locke, Internet Marketer, is a person I cannot live without! She is the epitome of a quality employee! She is a laudable crackerjack with regards to all of the perplexing, complicated and baffling areas of internet marketing. After one phone call with Allyson, I clearly understood an expert was what I needed to help promote my website not only at the beginning of the project but specifically once it was launched! Allyson is the only person I wanted for the job! Not only is she teaching me the basic principles of internet marketing but she constantly analyzes my site statistics and recommends improvements to obtain the best results for my company. Her service was an upgrade to my project costs; one at first I was tempted to eliminate, but under the advisement of Dan Kompass I decided to include the figure in my budget. It’s the best decision I made and one well worth the extra expenditure. Allyson is worth every penny and my website would be lost amongst the millions of other real estate websites without her finely honed abilities. Thank you Allyson; I am so tickled to be working with you.

Most web design companies terminate the relationship once the project is completed and payment is received. Not Union Street Media! Minna Brown is my client service manager and an invaluable asset to both me and Union Street Media. She takes as much pride in my website as I do! She is in constant contact with me to make sure I am on track with my training on blogs and the back end administration of my website. She also noted I had not made any progress on the EXPLORE OUR AREA tab that I chose to build myself. How impressive to know she cares and is easily accessible to lend a helping hand. She continues to work with my local real estate board to configure a way to provide our customers with instant updates on our listings. Thank you Minna for your ceaseless efforts, without your positive attitude and encouragement my website would simply linger!

Union Street Media continues to provide stellar support once the training is complete and websites are launched. Joe Mester, Web Developer, rapidly responds to my questions and concerns. No matter how simple the query, he personally responds with the appropriate resolution and shows me where the training video/material is located.

Furthermore, Union Street Media does more than just design websites, they are committed to helping their clients use their websites to build a strong on-line presence, sell more homes and dominate their marketplace. Their collection of resources available to their clients is commendable! Their help center has articles, videos & blogs on an array of subjects devised to help clients attract, retain & convert leads to sales!

Union Street Media are team players and remain a key part of our business. Their customer service is first-class and their products are unsurpassed. We look forward to being the forerunner of on-line marketplace in our area and converting leads into sales through our high quality, easy to use website and mobile website. We consider Union Street Media part of our family here at Monarch Realty Inc. and would refer them to anyone who is considering either creating or updating their website. I salute you Union Street Media for a job well done. Thank you for our new, interactive website & mobile website; you’ve made a customer for life!”

Doreen T. Coones

Co-founder, Partner, REALTOR®
Monarch Realty Inc.

Tags: client testimonial, Our Clients
Posted in Our Clients | No Comments »

How to Make Google Local Work for You

by Erica Viscio

April 11th, 2013

If you’re an avid ‘Googler’, as most people these days are, you may have noticed a few shifts in the way Google displays your results. Of course, there are still the ads up top and on the right, but some big changes have been made to the way organic results are displayed. Instead of a list of large companies that have their SEO caps on straight, you come across another type of result with addresses, telephone numbers, and reviews right on your search page. This is the new Google.

New Google Local listings highlighted in blue.

These results are called local listings and they’re customized for each user, depending on their location, geographic terms included in their search phrase, what device they’re using, and other criteria. Go ahead, Google “Oklahoma Real Estate,” and your results are probably different from the ones listed above. Why? Because Google is gathering these results using unique parameters defined by you, for you.

So, how do you know if your business is going to show up in searches? While all of this seems a bit up-to-chance, there are things you, as a business owner, can do to help your site have a better shot at appearing.

Encourage customer reviews. Good reviews build trust with Google and with potential customers/clients. The more positive reviews you have, the better your “score” (Google’s version of stars) will be. This score is based on a 30-point scale that Google also takes into account when showing local listings.

Claim your listing. Seriously! This makes all the difference. Log into Google Places for business here, to establish your identity with Google and gain control over your listing. Once your page is verified you will be able to edit the information that Google has about your business. This also allows you to connect your local listing to your Google+ Business Page. As this in-depth Inman article points out, you will be able to connect your page with your Google Analytics account, which means more insight into your social ROI.

Keep your information accurate and up-to-date. Once you’ve claimed your listing, here are a few ways to make sure your page is optimized up to Google standards:

Be sure that all the basic information is correct and filled out: business name, title*, bio information, etc…
Pay special attention to the categories. Google allows for 5 different categories. Consider categories such as: Real Estate Agency, Buyer Broker, Home Appraisal, Realtor, etc… No need to put location-based keywords here.
Be sure to include a local address. Google Local is all about finding people near you. Having a street address rather than a PO box will automatically help you.
Same thing goes for phone numbers. A local number looks better than a toll-free number to Google. Try to use your office number, one with a local area code.

*Tip: Do not use your title as a place for keywords. Google will think you’re using black hat SEO techniques. Stick with your company’s name such as: Guy Incognito Realty, not Oklahoma Real Estate by Guy Incognito Realty.

What this means for SEO

Because of the massive amount of space Google+ Local Listings are now taking up on the page, old-fashioned “organic results” are getting less and less visibility. While you may rank #3 for a particular search term, your site may be pushed down to the bottom of the page by local results. This is all the more reason to get your Google+ Local and Google + for Business pages set up and ready for search. You can use these pages to a) drive more users to your site and b) gain more branding/exposure. Two things that you can never really have enough of.

What this means for Realtors ®

This innovation in Google search is particularly important to those in the real estate industry. Everything you do is about location, and Google has come out with a tool that is seemingly tailor made for you. So go forth, get your Google Local pages claimed and your Google + Business page set up. The more accurate information Google has on you, the more likely it is you will appear in searches.

Tags: Google Local, Internet Marketing, Local Search, Social Media Marketing
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Interactive Website Launches

by Will Read

April 3rd, 2013

www.jenike.com	Jenike & Johanson For over 55 years, engineering firm Jenike & Johanson has specialized in powder and bulk solids storage, handling, conveying, and processing. They are one of the leading bulk solids flow engineering companies in the world and needed a site that matched their highly esteemed offline reputation. The new site was designed to ensure ease-of-use for a wide variety of target audiences, including international clients and colleagues. Clear calls to action and carefully worded navigation, information about services and products can be found through a variety of “channels” based on the user’s preferred method of moving through the site. Modern updates including widening the site design, use of an interactive map, a searchable case studies database, and interactive timeline were made to match the company’s online identity with their leading-edge offline presence.
www.grahampelton.com	Graham-Pelton Graham Pelton is a consulting firm that offers customized fundraising guidance and services for nonprofits, cultural organizations, independent schools, environmental groups, community organizations, religious organizations, and those operating in the fields of higher education and healthcare. Although their old site contained valuable information about their services, it failed to convey the scope of their work and the depth if their client base. The new site was developed to increase brand recognition while modernizing their online and offline presence. The use of a full-screen image slideshow and updated logo convey a clear marketing message in a user-centric and engaging way.
www.vtcustomclosets.com	Vermont Custom Closets Vermont Custom Closets is Vermont’s largest closet company offering the biggest selection of products than any other company. Vermont Custom Closets is a new entity that merged Otter Creek Custom Closets from Otter Creek Awnings and Closet Crafters. Vermont Custom Closets has a 3000 sq. ft. showroom and design center (located next to Otter Creek). It is Vermont’s largest closet and organizational showroom. The goal of the site was to introduce the new brand and company through a clean, professional and responsive design optimized for all screen sizes. The site design is consistent with The Otter Creek Awnings website. The site navigation is intuitive and clearly encompasses all aspects of the company including the products, services and the team customers will work with. The responsive design restructures elements on the screen as it becomes narrower, keeping the most important sections, such as brand identity and calls to action on the top.
www.educatorsally.com	Educator’s Ally Educator’s Ally is a highly personalized placement agency for educators and independent schools in the New York metropolitan area. They have been representing and recruiting for both day and boarding schools located in the northeast since 1975. The old site was very outdated and new ownership began operating the business during 2012. The goals of the redesign and resulting solutions included: To elevate the organization’s image by creating a contemporary, impressive, interactive, useful, and informative website with clean design and easy navigation. A large, graphic slideshow was added to the homepage to help convey a sense of Educator’s Ally is to site visitors before they even begin to read the written content. The balance of the whitespace and the crisp color scheme helps the site maintain a modern, yet sophisticated and professional look. To increase productivity and operational efficiency including fielding unqualified candidates. The addition of an online application for pre-approved and qualified candidates increases the efficiency with which Educator’s Ally completes daily, time-consuming tasks. To directly capture data about viable candidates directly into their database via an online application. Every 24 hours, Educator’s Ally receives a CSV file via email that includes all applicants that have submitted an application within the 24 hour period.
www.andrewpearcebowls.com	Andrew Pearce Bowls The Andrew Pearce story begins with family and a tradition of craftsmanship, innovation and entrepreneurship. Andrew Pearce bowls combine the artistic integrity of a hand-turned bowl with the efficiency of a machine-manufactured product. Using locally sourced wood, Andrew Pearce bowls are created through a unique manufacturing process employing equipment specifically designed by Andrew. Creative Director Todd Cummings designed the logo prior to the web design process. The initial vision of the logo included a hand done look with rough edges, the organic feel of wood, and loosely imitating the feel of a brand. The site is starting out as simple blog site with minimal content to announce the company, create brand awareness, share the story and plant the seed for more. The site is a responsive design optimized for mobile, tablet and computer screens of varying sizes.
www.halnc.com	Harsch Associates Legal Nurse Consultants A Legal Nurse Consultant adds value by reviewing, organizing and analyzing medical records to support your strategic argument. Harsch Associates Legal Nurse Consultants help identify, locate, review and interpret relevant medical records, support the attorney’s case, act as an attorney liaison, work with experts and witnesses and assist with discovery and preparation. Designer Alaina Castillo created the logo with the goal to elegant, professional, yet right to the point. The site features blog post headlines in the footer, clear call to actions on all pages, and is easy to navigate.
www.globalz.com	Global Z Global Z specializes in data quality and direct marketing services such as address verification, phone and email standardization, geocoding, and international postal presorts. Their data hygiene services are invaluable to clients the US, Canada, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe. Along with creating a new responsive website design, we restructured the navigation to meet the goal of providing potential customers and current clients a more intuitive way to find the information they are seeking. By creating three main funnels that speak to different ways varying target audiences search for information, we ensured that no matter the industry or region the client comes from, they would be able to find the content they’re look for quickly and easily. Clearer calls to action were added to encourage and drive leads through the site.
www.middleburyfence.com	Middlebury Fence Middlebury Fence is a commercial and residential fencing company that specializes in installation of residential and commercial fences, gate & access control, solar panel installation, and outdoor living products. The goal of the new site is to highlight Middlebury Fence’s new initiatives and the full scope of services and products they now offer. The design of the site presents the client with a variety of ways to promote new initiatives and products while also focusing on their “bread and butter” branches of business – commercial and residential fence installation and the addition of the residential fencing and commercial fencing databases.
www.mobilevtstorage.com	Mobile Vermont Storage Mobile Vermont Storage offers clean, secure, affordable storage containers for on-site storage throughout Vermont. The storage containers are available for purchase, long-term, or short rentals. The site was developed to provide an online identity for the new and growing company. Our design team worked with the client to create a modern, clean logo to serve as the cornerstone of their brand identity. The site was created in a way that will allow the homepage to be updated frequently to highlight new initiatives and products as the company continues to grow and evolve. In addition, clear calls to action were added to generate leads.