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Internet marketing for real estate: a practical tactical blog

Mobile Search

People search for things in a context. They are somewhere in the universe and they need to know something. Ten years ago if we wanted to search for something we could use this fancy new thing called the internet and it was awesome. We logged in on our dial up modems and typed our questions. We used computers weighing at least eight pounds to interact with the data. The screens were maybe a foot wide or more.

Increasingly, we’re out in the world and looking for something. We use devices weighing a few ounces. The screens are a few inches wide. We can’t type into them and a noisy real-world environment surrounds us. But we still want to search for something.

“Mobile Search Engine Optimization” describes some of the different ways we use search on the go. We think and act differently when using mobile devices. Your search engine optimization that works so well on a desktop at your office, might not be reaching and engaging a customer who is standing within ten feet of your product or service. This is an emerging area of research so expect more in this vein.

Want to get ready for a mobile search world? The future of the mobile web is available to you every weekend.

Lifestyle Real Estate Search

While Union Street Media customers have been using our One Click Real Estate Search technology to craft custom lifestyle real estate searches on their sites for some time, there are an increasing number of services and aggregators focusing on creating real estate searches that highlight more than just price and location. Joel Burslem gives a roundup of several, including the Onboard Infomatics Lifestyle Listings Engine (which looks pretty sweet).

How do people search for real estate?

Understanding what people type into search engines is very important to getting the reach you need for your site. It helps you put your site in front of people that may find your site relevant. There’s been a fair amount of chatter about “natural language search” vs the “old” checkbox-zip-code-how-many-bathrooms approach. The FBS Blog (quickly becoming one of my favorites, by the way) gives a quick take on natural language search and whether it applies to real estate.

Internet Marketing, “Memes” and Photography

I’ve been tagged for a “meme” again. Unlike the previous one, which focused on telling a few things about myself to the audience, this one involves a photograph. For those who are not familiar with blogger jargon, “tagged” is just like in a game of tag. One blogger chooses or “tags” another to carry on some specific “meme.” A “meme” is a small thought/challenge/trend or fad. Read more

I’ve been memed.

Every now and then the blogosphere has a slow day out and a “meme” is spread. While “meme” normally refers to any short, digestible bit of truthiness/buzz that spreads like wildfire, in blogland “memes” are usually a question or set of questions that you’re supposed to answer.

Memes spread from person to person, like a cold virus. A person answers and then passes it on.

I have received my first meme ever. From no less than Joseph Ferrara over at the Sellsius Real Estate blog.

I met him for the first time in person over a lunch organized by Pat Kitano at Inman Connect SF ‘08. He’s behind the Good Sam Real Estate Network, a project that is built around the idea of helping people avoid foreclosure. I recommend you check that site out. Karma goes all directions.

Alright, so here’s the meme: 6 Random Things You Wouldn’t Know About Me Unless You Asked

I once apprenticed at a letterpress, setting metal type by hand.
I was a competitive pole-vaulter as a freshman in high school.
I have played a solo on French Horn on stage at Carnegie hall.
I grew up in North Dakota.
On occasion I will let a telemarketer try to sell me something just to hear the pitch as well as to have some fun seeing what happens when I bring the conversation off their script or flowchart.
I choose to believe in the existence of Champ, the monster who resides in Lake Champlain, because it makes life more interesting. I also have a normal, well-adjusted friend who grew up around fishing and boats who has seen Champ.

According to the code of meme-dom I must pass this question along. For the recipients who are tired of these chain-letter type things, my deepest apologies.

Sean Bossie, IT Systems Manager over at Wright Realty who really gets this internet marketing thing.

Bill Simmon, teacher videographer man-about-town who will probably chuckle quietly about being memed.

Anyone at the 7DVT staff blog because local is what matters.

Adam Fullerton, Marketing Intern alumnus of Union Street Media.

Week in Review Overload

Too… many…. great…. posts…. this…. week…. Here we go:

The future of SEO may require being your own middleman, according to O’Reilly. Hat tip to Drew Meyers.

The Bloodhounds make note that the hard part of doing web marketing is creating the content. Here’s a choice quotation:

“Just compare the quality and depth of content Amazon has around a $10 copy of Home Buying for Dummies to the average listing for a $500k ranch on Realtor.com.”

Joel Burslem gives the Consumer Reports real estate study some thought on Future of Real Estate Marketing.

In case you missed it, Union Street Media’s Adam Fullterton provides a strategic outline for integrating social media into your online marketing via a presidential metaphor.

A lot of us talk about transparency but at 1000Watt they ponder when it’s too much.

Rothamel cuts loose with a manifesto for the recently wired realtor.

I spend a lot of time thinking about real estate search and how to improve the experience. Marc Davisson nails it over at Inman.

Doing your own SEO instead of hiring Union Street Media’s excellent SEO for real estate pros? Better be prepared to deal with the SEO Ninjas.

Happy Friday: Is this house in your neighborhood? I hope you blog some more about it.

Week in Review is the New…

Another week come and gone. Some great tools, thinking and trends this week.

Google Insights is the New Secret Decoder Ring

Sellsius lays it down. Lots of posts on the interwebs about this but I like Sellsius’ best because it has the screencaps and the tactical focus.

IDX Search is the New Steak Dinner

Brian Boero sets the table for understanding why brokers should be able to perform well in the face of listing aggregation.

Website Testing is the New Fruit Fly

Jeff Stibel, writing in the Harvard Business Review, outlines the way that good online marketing happens.

Bigfoot Press Conference is the New Volcanic Keyword

It is, after all, Friday. Also, don’t forget the Times article.

Week in Review: August 8

Welcome to the Takeaway edition of Week in Review.

Social network use and age

A hat tip to Nick Bostic who highlights the results of a recent AARP study on social network use among older Americans.

Takeaway:

Just because your newest hire is fresh out of college doesn’t mean they should run your social media strategy.

Walking the hyperlocal talk

Ben Boero gets down to the nitty gritty on what “hyperlocal” is really about. As an added bonus, be sure to read his last paragraph which gives you some tangible action ideas.

Takeaway:

If you really do know the neighborhoods you serve, you can probably do much much better than just recycling that stale Schools data on your site.

Heard about “duplicate content?”

We can never state enough how important it is to make original, useful content. Rich Jacobson, the Active Rain Community Builder lays it all out in black and white about what is plagiarism and what is attribution.

Takeaway:

Use snippets and link. It makes you look smart. Plagiarism doesn’t look smart.

The full service real estate firm

As part of his ongoing series on re-envisioning the real estate business Notorious R.O.B. gets very in depth about what service should really mean.

Takeaway:

Data is great, but will anyone ever enter it so we can get a 360 view?

Social media participation

Something appears to be wrong with Bad MLS photo of the day so here’s a great piece from the Onion. If you don’t like the Onion then best to skip this over. If you do like the Onion, don’t let their scathing irony and satire prevent you from participating in social media. Local idiot to leave a comment on the internet.