Here are 3 tactics anyone can use that offer the potential for any marketing message to go viral online.

Video

In the age of high technology many have gravitated towards visual imaging as their preferred means to be entertained or get informed. YouTube called attention to the popularity video has with internet users and now web-cams have placed this medium more directly into the hands of the individual. This now allows for greater participation along with more creativity making the use of video a very effective way to launch a viral campaign!

Social Networking

This platform is the very essence of what viral marketing is all about. Be it an interesting product, site or even comment, if it captures the attention of others there is no telling where it may end up. The social network environment is the perfect setting for creating a buzz whether it is based on fact or not. Lets face it people like to talk and trade stories and these sites are made just for that! In many ways they can be considered online cocktail parties!

Though Provoking Content

The use of content is the backbone of any internet business but it is not always for the expressed purpose of conveying a marketing message. Whether it is a blog post, article, tweet or otherwise if a particular piece of content provokes a reaction it can easily launch a viral campaign that spreads internet wide! This applies to pretty much any industry, whether you are selling widgets or promoting real estate in Evergreen, Colorado. The key is to touch upon popular and/or sensitive topics without attempting to promote any goods or services. This will allow viewers to let their guard down, relax and become more engaged in and better absorb the content! Always use some sort of signature file at the end of what you have composed that contains a link back to your site so that ultimately people, if interested, can find you.

With all the different ways to advertise online and new strategies being developed almost daily it remains impressive that viral marketing still remains popular! What this clearly indicates is the long standing effectiveness and efficiency this strategy offers in terms of circulating any marketing message is still widely recognized! In fact combining this particular tactic with the technology and global audience found online instantly multiplies the potency of any viral campaign! The 3 tactics discussed above are widely accepted and frequently used methods due to their effectiveness at spreading any marketing message like wildfire online!

However, where the realtors are concerned, setting up agent websites can make their wallets lighter by several hundred dollars in addition to the requirement of paying a monthly fee of approximately $30-60 for running the website. In such a situation the realtor blogs are an advantage as many of them can be set up for free and with maintenance costs of just $5-10 per month. In fact, there are many realtors who have created their own blogs to complement their realtor websites.

Realtor blogs are more advantageous than agent websites since in the blog entries are always made in a reverse chronological order. This way the most recent information is available first. Since the most up-to-date information is available almost at a glance, the client is more attracted to the blog than to the website. Also, since blogs are nothing but personalized websites, there are greater chances of the blog being updated rather than agent websites.

Unlike the websites for realtors that just provide information regarding properties available, photographs, contact information etc., blogs are more personalized in that they present the information from the standpoint of the realtor. This gives a more comprehensive view about a property to the client than the information available through websites.

Both agent websites and blogs provide property information to prospective clients albeit in different ways. However, realtor blogs seem to have a slight edge over the websites for realtors because they provide up-to-date information at a glance and in a more personalized manner. Additionally, costs of setting up and maintaining a blog are a lot less than maintaining a website. Owing to these reasons it is quite possible that blogs might gain an upper-hand over websites in the online real estate scenario.

All said and done, using realtor websites and blogs as a complement to each other would be best option in expanding a real estate business as both have their own plus and minus points.

Although blogs appear to be better than realtor websites, for realtors it would be wise to use both the websites and the blogs to advertise their business and stand out in a large crowd.

Firstly, Google Instant is a new incarnation of Google search that gives on-the-fly suggestive search results based on direct user input as they are typing out their search query. Google is promoting the virtues of Instant by touting its timesaving capabilities. While saving time and making searches faster is certainly an improvement worth praising, I believe that Google Instant is really a response to a different problem.

Google has always struggled to deliver ideal results for novel unique keyword searches. By their own estimate, 20% of all keyword searches fall into the unique keyword search category. That is one-fifth of Google’s users that may not get the most relevant result, and therefore, walk away unhappy.

More than any other issue, I think that is the problem Google Instant was developed to help solve. Notice how Google Instant attempts to auto-complete a query for the user while also generating instant results. This activity is essentially funneling Google users into indexed keyword paradigms for which Google is confident they have already established a high standard of relevance. If this methodology can shave that 20% of unhappy searches down to 5-10%, then Google has overcome a major hurdle to user search satisfaction.

Now if we apply the above to the impact on SEO, you can see how professional search engine optimization will still be key to optimum website performance in the Google indexes. Matt Cutts has already made a video addressing the concerns of the website community and giving his take on why SEO will still play an essential role in future Google Search.

However, I think SEO can go even further than Matt’s suggestions for simply establishing and maintaining structural site integrity. Since Google appears to be settling on a more rigid index range, (per the auto-complete results that appear each time you begin typing a Google query), SEO practitioners can be key roleplayers in identifying keyword opportunities and structures. Bringing this knowledge to bear on the architecture of the website and providing the necessary support through a sustained SEO campaign will be more vital than ever in the future of search marketing.

1. Click My Account on the local Craigslist site.
2. Click Sign up for an account in the bottom left of the page that appears.
3. Enter your email address and the captcha.
4. Click Create Account.
5. This will send an email to you with a link. Open your email and click the link.
6. Enter a password.
7. Read and accept the Terms of Use.

You’re now an official member of Craigslist and ready to take full advantage of what it has to offer. With its user-friendly interface, it is definitely one of the most accessible sites of its kind. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the Craigslist way of doing things. Select your city and then conduct a few property searches. This allows you to see how homes are listed and also what your ads will look like to potential customers.

When you post real estate ads on Craigslist, remember to include detailed information. Always include a high quality photo of the property, your contact information and any of the relevant information you would include with a standard MLS listing.

You can also use Craigslist to find handymen and craftsmen. If you have a property that needs work, browse through the “Skilled Trade” category looking for the specific talent needed for the job. You also have the option of posting an ad there yourself, outlining precisely what you are looking for. This is an extremely efficient method of finding qualified workers.

If you have rental properties, post them on Craigslist. Homes, apartments, condos and trailers can all be advertised. As with other ads, it’s important to be as specific as possible. Craigslist offers an incredible amount of exposure to those who are willing to put the time in. It’s a great way to reach a specific audience in the immediate area of your property-something that entrepreneurs pay premium prices for on other websites.

The Free Way To Advertise on Facebook

Using your own account to advertise your listings to your Facebook friends is a good idea. You can post a link to the MLS listing, or better yet post a link to a custom website that has a sign up form if they want to request more information.

While you are at it, be sure to create a Facebook fan page for your business. This is another place you can post your listings, updates about the market, and anything else real estate related that you want to discuss.

The Paid Way to Advertise on Facebook

Facebook paid advertising is great. It uses the information that users save in their profiles so that your ad only displays to people that meet your specific criteria. Imagine you own a rental property near a local college that is perfect for college students. What if you could have this ad show up to people that go to that college? You can do that.

Now, the next key is to have the potential lead go somewhere that you can get their contact information from them. I suggest a very simple one page site with a sign up form, and a good reason for them to sign up. It could be as simple as filling in the form to set up a showing, but you will get far more sign ups with a stronger offer. Perhaps a list of local college friendly rentals, or something else of value to whichever demographic to which you are advertising.

Conclusion

There is no denying that Facebook is a powerful advertising platform as it is part of the social media shift, and it is about time that you give it a try. I have had a lot of success advertising on Facebook, and you can too.

One common way buyer and sellers meet online is through online classified ads. There is an endless amount of websites where people can search for homes.

Another option to buy and sell homes would be through an online auction. If you decide you need professional assistance, there is a real estate directory online where you could search for agents.

The property website service offers better exposure to your property that you want to sell, but for a fee. They guarantee search engine optimization of all property in their system.

A popular trend used to buy and sell real estate is social media sites. Social media sites and blogs create faster interactions between both the seller and buyer to facilitate the transaction.

Social media sites are more personal. People often feel safer and more secure when dealing with transactions through these sites.

Now a days, people who use real estate services to sell their home, will link the listing to social media sites in order to make it available to a broader range of potential buyers. Beware, though, some people might see this as spam and may stop following your blog or other sites as result.

The ways in which people buy and sell homes are increasing. The online option is becoming very popular now days. The internet makes the real estate market even easier to find what you are looking for as you can do it on your own, in your spare time and the area’s you can search are even greater.

Just as the Internet changed the way a real estate agent markets a property and looks to gain prospective buyers, mobile marketing, and specifically, text message marketing is going to change the landscape again. It is an important tool to add to your realtor internet marketing arsenal.

There are five key reasons why text message marketing for real estate is beneficial.

1. It is a 24/7 marketing tool. Once you set up the system it markets for you automatically, even while you sleep.

2. It is easy. You simply complete a few fill in the blank sections on the website and the system runs by itself

3. It provides great information. You can only include 160 characters in an SMS text message, but if you can insert a short URL into the message the user can click the link in a smart phone and open up the full MLS listing. You will never have to touch a flyer box again!

4. It is inexpensive. Compared to the cost of printing, reprinting and stocking flyers, text message flyers are very inexpensive.

5. It builds your database. When someone takes a paper flyer (or two, or three) from the box, you have no clue who they were. You could go through hundreds of flyers and never have any idea of who was looking at your property. With digital text message flyers for real estate you capture the cell phone number of the person requesting the information, and if the system has a mini-CRM built into it, you can send automated, triggered responses directly back to the prospective buyer.

Just as the Internet changed the way real estate transactions occur, text message and mobile marketing is going to change the landscape again. Even if you aren’t a big proponent of texting, your prospective buyers are, so you need to change with the ever changing technological environment.

There are literally hundreds of “tools” in social media to help you grow your online reputation and business and most of them don’t have practical business applications (yet!).

The world of social media and social networking can be overwhelming, when viewed as a whole but there are certain threads that run through each social platform. One of those threads is that social networking is about meeting and engaging people, not trying to sell them.

You’ve heard the “cocktail party” metaphor. Social networking is like a cocktail party, you meet people and engage them looking for commonalities and a potential basis for developing a conversation (relationship). You’re not trying to marry the people you meet online, but rather to see if there is enough interest for a follow up “cup of coffee” so you can talk some more.

If you give the “Are you or anyone you know interested in buying or selling real estate?” at the on-line cocktail party, people will shut you out and ignore you very quickly. Why? Because they can and it’s their cocktail party!

Social media and networking are not designed to replace your offline marketing strategies either. In fact they are the perfect complement to them. The more prospects you can engage online and work them through your “marketing funnel” until you get the opportunity to meet them face-to-face, the more prosperous your business will be.

To start you only need to focus on three platforms:

1. The search engines – Google, Yahoo and Bing, you have to make yourself visible to the search engines or you’ll never get found by the people that don’t already know you and even they might not have the patience to look too hard. Think page 1 “above the fold”.

2. Facebook – You have to be where your customers are and 450 MILLION people can’t be wrong.

3. LinkedIn – This is the social networking site of choice for professionals. According to a recent study the average income of LinkedIn users is $109,000/year. Don’t know about you, but I need to know more of those kind of prospects. You can learn more about using LinkedIn for social networking by reading this article.

If you’re interested in referrals from other agents, they are most likely to come from here. This is your online resume and networking here is likely to provide quicker results. If being an REO agent is in your future it’s very likely the asset managers will start their search on LinkedIn to select qualified agents.

Step 2: It’s not about you!

This is the most difficult step for most veteran Realtors®.

Think of the internet and social media/networking as part of the largest real estate shopping mall in the history of mankind. Everyday millions of shoppers head to this mall to search for some sort of information about real estate. Unfortunately there are millions of choices for them, fortunately they have a directory to help them find the store they are looking for. That directory is the search engines, Google, Yahoo, Bing and now even Facebook.

So, how do you get to be the one these shoppers find?

Since day one in the business you’ve been told about growing your brand. Traditional marketing channels like newspapers, homes magazines, marketing flyers were always about YOU!

The evolution of online marketing has changed that.

Since the day the first Realtor gave internet access to the MLS, the consumer had the “keys to the kingdom”. The consumer is control and they like it that way. They can get the information with or without you.

It’s how you add value that will determine your success.

I’ve posed this dilemma to a number of local Realtors® and have gotten the same response most of the time: “They don’t need us anymore”

Absolutely incorrect!

They still need you, but not to search for houses. They can do that while watching “Dancing with the Stars” or on their wireless devices while driving through neighborhoods actually looking at their future dream home.

They need you to be the “resident genius.” They need you to tell them what’s going on in the market. They need you to tell them what’s going on in the community. They need you to tell them why particular subdivisions or neighborhoods are great places to live. They need you to share with them the “insider secrets” to a successful real estate transaction. In short, they need your expertise!

The consumer has the keys to the MLS kingdom and they’re not giving them up, so you have to find a way to bring value to this budding relationship that is not entirely real estate related.

If you were having a conversation with someone you hadn’t previously known, and they asked “Why should I do business with you?” How would you respond?

You might say because “I’m a market expert”, or “I’m the top producer in my office”, or “Because I provide outstanding service and I put my client’s interest first.”

Those are all very good reasons, but that’s what every Realtor® says. (It’s called me-too marketing)

If everyone is saying the same thing how is the consumer going to hear YOU above all the noise? You have to have a “WHY ME?” that will separate elevate you above the competition. Your WHY ME? has to bring value to this relationship.

Never forget the first rule of relationships. The person that brings the most value to the relationship will control the relationship! In the internet world consumers want to be educated (explains why there are millions of blogs) and entertained (YouTube!). They want to receive value.

They want you to give it to them!

Your WHY ME? has to be more than words, you have to show the skeptical consumer that you’re different better than your competition. Think of yourself as the Mayor of your City/Neighborhood or the President of the local Chamber of Commerce, who happens to sell real estate. The more time you spend promoting your city, community, or neighborhood. The more trusting consumers will be of you. Then, your real estate job gets a whole lot easier!

Step #3: You need the keys, to get the engine running!

For consumers that don’t already know you, they have to be able to find you through the search engines. How will they do that? They will “Google” what interests them.

Getting found on the internet, whether it be your web page or Facebook business page or even your Google local business listing revolves around keywords, so even if you already have a well established brand using your name, start thinking like your prospects and build your business around your “keywords”.

Google Keyword Tool – you will need a Gmail account to access

Here’s an exercise

Using the Google keyword tool, enter (your city) real estate or homes for sale in (your city), the keyword tool will give you the number of searches over the past month along with variations of those terms. You can also use the tool to measure how much competition you will have.

Now search by your name with Realtor or real estate agent and compare the number of searches.

If you want to fish…fish where the fish are!

The more proficient you are with keywords, the greater the chance that someone searching for real estate in your local market will find you.

You should strive for a first page ranking on all the search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) for the target markets you have selected. The chances of being found drop dramatically once you get off the first page.

So, who are your target markets?

If you said, “anyone looking to buy or sell a home”, you have almost NO chance of being found.

Why? Because that’s the playground where the big kids play and it’s very, very expensive to play there, you’re competing with Realtor.com, Homes.com, Zillow, Trulia, Movoto and all the other national listing websites. If you have enough money to compete with them, you probably don’t need this information.

If you said, “first time home buyers looking to buy in (your city)” or “homeowners looking to stop foreclosure in (your farm area)” your chances of being found have increased dramatically.

Why? These are searches in your local market (hyper-local) and you will find a better quality lead. Research has shown that the closer a consumer gets to their buying decision, the more “granular” their searches get. They may start off searching by “homes for sale”, but as they begin to focus on a particular city or neighborhood they’re going to search for “(your city) homes for sale” or “(your city) real estate”. Then as they identify particular neighborhoods, their searches might be “Paseo del Sol homes” or “Greer Ranch homes for sale”.

The interesting part of this search process is that Google has a memory, and as they recognize an individual’s searching patterns with particular keywords, they will try to match those searches with relevant content and those pages will rank higher for that consumer.

You can also try “Wonder Wheel”- Watch Wonder Wheel video – which simplifies the keyword search process by giving you the ability to branch off in a number of directions in your search and perhaps find other niche markets.

Step #4 – Write a killer profile

“A Google Profile is simply how you represent yourself on Google products – it lets you tell others a bit more about who you are and what you’re all about. You control what goes into your Google Profile, sharing as much (or as little) as you’d like.”

Even if you don’t have a website or a Facebook business page, or a LinkedIn account, you can still be found on the internet by consumers who don’t know you, by writing a “killer profile”.

A killer profile is one that sounds more like a press release than a bio. Strategic use of keywords in your profile(s) enables consumers to find you based on their searches (Step 3). When you write your profile try to be as keyword rich as possible.

Back to the Google keyword tool and look for more keyword terms that are easily included in your profile.

As much as possible (don’t make it weird) refer to yourself in the third person because there will be people who know you or are checking up on you and you want to make sure they can find you as well.

A great source of ideas for a “killer profile” is ActiveRain. Search Realtors in your local area and check out their profiles. You will soon see the difference between a “killer profile” and a “me too” profile.

You only have to write one profile. Create a word or Google document, then just copy and paste to your selected sites.

As you search for other niche markets, update your profile with keywords related to that market.

Your profile only has one purpose! Help people find you!

Just like your profile might be for an on-line dating service, your business profile’s purpose is to generate enough interest to have a first date, then you can let the relationship grow from there,

How will you know if it works? Upload your profiles to each of the search engines, to your Facebook business page, and to LinkedIn. Give it a couple days, then Google your name. You should see dramatic improvement.

Maintaining your search engine ranking is not a “set it and forget it” strategy. Too many agents have spent a lot of time building their ranking only to lose it 30 days later because they didn’t keep the contact fresh.

Your online visibility all starts with your keyword rich profile. Take the time to write a “killer profile” and you should see improvement quickly.

Step #5 – Do it!

The only bad online strategy is the one you don’t do!

Remember, you have competition out there and it’s not limited to just your MLS board. Think about how many Realtors in Southern California have access to your MLS listings. That is how much competition you have.

To beat your competition you will have to be:

1) Creative- Take a look at what your competition is doing and do something different. Just because they’re doing it doesn’t mean it’s working. Think like your prospects, how can you educate, entertain, or enrich?

2) Patient – Like all relationships, on-line relationships take a while to develop. Don’t expect immediate results. Treat your on-line platforms with the same diligence you use for your off-line marketing. Be consistent. If you feel a relationship is getting stale, get creative and try something new, if that doesn’t work try something else.

The only thing constant in internet marketing is change. The technology is changing at a dramatic pace and in a year even these suggestions may be out of date.

You have to be committed to invest the time and effort to develop your on-line reputation.

Perhaps the worst thing that can happen to you is you find a qualified prospect and when they go on-line to “check you out” (and they will!) they can’t find you, but instead find another agent who has taken the time to build an “on-line brand”.

As you can choose from which products or areas your leads are coming from, you can be assured that your leads are targeted and that all the information you are providing is right for your market and service. These leads usually come with details such as contact information and buying preferences with all the information vet through for accuracy. Your job is made much easier with the email addresses, phone numbers and their budget for their purchase provided by the service provider. As you are buying when you need the leads, most of the information is current and timely.

There are plenty of such service providers to choose from. Compare their service and price first over the internet before making a decision. It will be helpful if some of them can provide you with a free trial to their service before you decided to sign with them. There are a variety of price options, depending on the number of leads you are getting and the frequent of purchase.

The key factor is that time and energy gathering leads is saved and you will only be getting quality leads. All that you need to do is to register online and receive their service right away, hassle free. If time is important for you, then getting a lead generation service is perfect for you. You save time and energy gathering leads and you will be assured that you do not only get multiple leads but quality ones.

I am not attempting to rewrite the thought on branding. The title is to get you thinking as a real estate agent (or any business) that before you sell your services as a professional in your area, you have to sell your website. And your website will be open to public opinion and branding. The fact is, we live in a whole new world that is constantly changing, and the old fashion school of thought concerning “branding” needs some serious upgrading when it comes to the initial approach. It is ultimately you, me and the rest of the populace that defines both the website and personal brand; who you are, what you do and how you are perceived. And remember this. Not necessarily just “you” as an agent, but your website, set of search tools, targeted information, etc.

This is a harsh thought though, especially if the tide can go in the wrong direction. So, it is important to understand that in the beginning stages of your marketing, you need to not only tell people who, what, where you are, but give them the resources to be able to come to this conclusion on their own.

This holds true for the real estate agents and brokers who are looking to establish a solid position in their communities as specialists in a type of “Property Niche”. And once again, not necessarily the agent, but the website(s).

An agent can have several highly targeted websites that serve different types of buyers. And if these sites serve up the exact information the potential buyers seek and answers their questions, you are establish some ground and establishing something I call Label Hooks. In this instance, positive. For every mental impression I create in my mind about your website, I am creating a mental “label” of you, your services, and expectations. If not positive, I am going elsewhere to search.

For example, if I were looking for a Golf Home in Destin, FL, searched for this in Google and found a site that gave me everything I needed about the golf courses, the country clubs, tournaments, etc., as well as detailed information about the real estate, I would be sold on the website. I would return when I was ready to go over options with my wife, I would email to friends and family, and so on.

The point is that you planted a “Label Hook” and scored valuable points with me. Eventually I will come to a conclusion of who you are and how I can benefit from your services.

So, to continue. All positive (hopefully not negative) “Label Hooks” gives me a more solid impression of you. I call this your Individual Brand with me. It is what I perceive you to be, how knowledgeable you are about the golf communities, and what I come to expect from you as a professional. Continue this service all the way through my purchase, and I am going to share my “Individual Brand” of you on-line via Facebook, chats, recommendations, and referrals.

So in conclusion, rather than selling yourself up front (just another agent), build equity by selling your property specialization, dedication to an area or type of community, etc. through your website. Offer the cleanest and easy-to-use search and save features. Ultimately, this is what buyers are seeking. That is why greater than 80% start their search on-line!