Google Page Rank updating

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Google is in the process of updating PageRank. So I figured now would be a good time to geek out and write about this esoteric feature of search engine optimization. For those of you who want to get right to the meat: As long as you create useful content and don’t try to outwit Google, PageRank will take care of itself. Read more

Localism sponsorship Land Rush schedule posted

Real estate social networking site, ActiveRain has posted the schedule for sponsorship opportunities on their neighborhood site Localism.com.

Vermont is August 8th, NH and NC are August 6th, Massachusetts and Illinois are August 5th.

People who have amassed more ActiveRain points will be able to have access earlier in the day.

Wright Realty

Wright Realty, specializing in custom homes on the Saco river and other great properties in the North Conway area, launched their real estate website with Union Street Media. This forward-thinking and internet savvy company makes excellent use of our software features such as One-Click Searches, integrated MLS search functionality, featured listings, content management system, new listing notifications and saved searches. Wright Realty also has an integrated blog which is focused on real estate market info and hot homes in the North Conway, NH area.

Harsch Associates

Our first real estate site for the Berkshires, Harsch Associates launches with One Click Searches, integration with the Berkshire MLS, advanced and quick search capabilities, new listing notifications to registered users, featured listings and our content management system.

ONS Foundation

ONS Foundation, a research foundation focused on musculoskeletal clinical research, has launched their content site with Union Street Media. The site features our content management system, site-wide search and integrated donation forms.

Real Estate Agents – Time to Refocus Your Ad Budget

If you’re a Realtor looking to justify the investment of time and money that you’ve made into your website and/or blog, this article from RISMedia about Yahoo!’s recent study of real estate consumers’ online behavior should give you some reassurance. It might have you considering shifting your budget even further towards support of your site and/or Pay-Per-Click campaigns.

In a recent study of 500 consumers, Yahoo! confirmed that people use the Web to ensure that the selected agent will best meet their specific needs.

Key findings include:

• Home buyers and sellers consider approximately two agents on average before making a final decision
• The Internet impacts consumer trust. Forty percent of respondents credited a site in increasing their trust in the agent
• 74% of people who accessed an agent website got there with the help of a search engine
• The online research process is quick and intense: consumers spent an average of 12 hours online researching agents and 75% selected an agent within one week of starting their search

Online resources provided introduction to new agents as well as promotional deals:

• 45% of respondents used the Internet to learn about agents they didn’t know existed
• 41% discovered special deals and promotions offered from an agent through the Internet

However, there is a disconnect between advertising dollars and consumer behavior. Based on Yahoo!’s study, 77% of respondents used an online source for information during their research process compared to 34% for print. But, according to a recent analysis by Borrell Associates, Realtor advertising dollars have yet to catch up to where home buyers are going – the Internet. While this year’s online media spend did in fact double from 2005, capturing 32% of the overall advertising spend, newspapers continue to get more share of dollars with 40%.

So, if you’ve been struggling with where to focus your advertising budget, these numbers should help resolve the debate. While print-advertising will always be demanded by your sellers, you’ll find your buyers via a well-optimized web site that is found easily on search engines. If you want some support, Union Street Media’s Internet Marketing Team is here to help. You can choose from a variety of services that suit your budget.

Amethyst Initiative

Union Street Media is proud to launch the website of the Amethyst Initiative, an organization of college presidents and chancellors who support informed and unimpeded debate on the 21 year-old drinking age. This site makes use of our custom design and content management system.

Getting the most out of attending trade shows and conferences

Everyone gets to an industry event sooner or later. We spend time and money getting there, being there and listening. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how we could get more bang for all that time and cash. Enter: metrics. Huh?

First up, I want to note off the bat that I’m wholesale adapting this article about getting extreme value from trade shows. Leave it to the metric-heads at e-metrics to come up with this sort of thing. So go read the source if you want more. Alright, down to business.

Before you get to the conference

You need to be absolutely certain you know why you are going to the conference or trade show. Just going to hang out or because you think you’ll hear something good. The more vague you are about your objectives, the more vague will be your results. Maybe you’re going to the show in order to learn something critical to your business success, maybe you’re going to pitch prospective clients, maybe you’re going to raise your profile in the industry. All of those would require some planning ahead. Let’s do some simple planning ahead:

1. Identify 3 outcomes you want from the conference. These outcomes should be clear, specific and measurable. The more detail the better (who, what, when, where). Bonus points if you use S.M.A.R.T. goals.
2. Write down your goals. You should write them in the past tense, as if they have already happened. You write them down this way so that you will know when you’ve achieved your outcome: when the statement is true, you have accomplished your goal.
3. Determine a method to measure progress. This is a nice place to put numbers, but it’s also a good place to break down your larger goal into specific phases.
4. Put copies of your 3 outcomes in the pockets of all the clothing you will wear at the event.

At the trade show or conference

Alright, you’re there listening to awesome speakers, excellent panelists and hanging out in the hallways. Your three outcomes are burning a hole in your pocket. Time for some action:

• Identify which speakers and sessions are most likely to attract people who can help your achieve your goals. Let that help you determine which sessions you attend.
• Early in any conversation, ask the other person what they’re most hoping to get out of the conference. If you can help them achieve what they’re after then do so.
• Chances are good they’ll ask you what you’re hoping to get out of the conference or what you’re enjoying most. This is a good time to let them know about some of your goals. Maybe they can help you out.

Bonus Round: Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell, does a great Q&A with herself about how to network. This includes some great tactics on when/how to approach speakers after a presentation. Chris Brogan provides a list of links to articles about making your conference experience great (scroll down).

After the show

Remember all that measurability you put in your outcomes? Start using it. Did you meet enough people? Initiate enough sales conversations? Help enough people? Did you let enough people help you?

I hope this is helpful and not too basic. How do you get the most out of a conference?

Learn something about Union Street Founder Ted Adler

The daily newspaper in Burlington, the Free Press, did a little writeup on Ted and his business-minded siblings.

The Given Limb Foundation

The Given Limb Foundation was established to improve the lives of persons with amputations or diminished limbs. Their Union Street Media website makes use of our content management system and integrated donation system.

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