20 years a leading Toronto Real Estate Agent; Jay Banerjei was forced to leave the country for a year due to philanthropic commitments, namely a family owned school for the underprivileged. In doing so, he was forced to leave a visible Toronto community presence in limbo.

Upon his recent return he set about researching the most cost efficient methods for rebuilding his former presence quickly. His effort led him to blogging, or better yet publishing & content. His immediate goal: to quickly establish a current, informed and appealing voice as the relevant Toronto Real Estate trade media source!

But enough conjecture, let’s ask Jay himself about his research and intentions going forward:

Frerecks: “So Jay, you looked at various solutions to try and re- establish your brand quickly in the Toronto marketplace. Why a kinetic blogsite, social network and public relations related services?”

Banerjei: “Ultimately it relates to a relatively quick & cost effective, yet unlimited potential, approach to exposing my business. Marketers need to make a decision: these days, it is jump on the bullet train or move out of the way… and I have jumped on!”

Frerecks: “You feel publishing to the web or blogging is the right method?”

Banerjei:  “I’m still doing 3 hours of telephone prospecting between 9 and 12 pm daily, but yes I do! Beyond the traditional methods of marketing & advertising I’m still using, most are not working any longer. Even the more recent days of consumers and business simply going to Google, typing in a search phrase, locating a company and calling or even purchasing are over. Sure my name will pop up in Google, but you’ve got to differentiate yourself when they search. And it’s not just standard text either; Toronto real estate video blogging will bring a high impact addition to my online marketing as well.”

“We’ll cover community and events, but we can expose Toronto homes in ways that maximize their dollar value for our sellers; we can expose an unlimited number of choices for people buying a home too. Beyond current local real estate coverage and a place to search/ find properties in Toronto, this blogsite is also a perfect place for those [looking for a real estate agent] to come and see all of the wonderful things that we do for our clients. We can capture leads, offer them direct RSS or email subscription.”

“My blogsite is very much a website, but a dynamic one that will helps us to market, foster home search, capture leads, generate direct subscription and rebuild our brand!

Frerecks: “What about the Social Networks? Do you have a lot of time to be there or will you position this blogsite to support that presence too?”

Banerjei:  “This blogsite will automatically export our content to Facebook, Twitter and Linked in! That added exposure will support the broader web optimization of, and also direct subscription to, our content. It will bring our video blogging to more people and we feel video is going to give instant feedback on sales.”

“Look, these social networks will allow me to market beyond search and direct subscription. Hopefully they will bring us more & more future clients. It’s certainly a very effective way of staying in contact with past clients, giving them relevant information wherever they are! And that’s without having to duplicate any effort! We’re also in control of our content to the degree that, if any social network fails, we still have it archived, categorized, tagged and available!”

Frerecks:  “In six months time, what is the goal with this kinetic blogsite?”

Banerjei:  I want to be on the leading edge! We’ll grab market share before the rest do!  We will have established our brand and an effective marketing and business tool.  We will be where the eye of the consumer is online, always expanding our market share. We will have hundreds of hot active leads at any one time.
I want this blogsite to grow into one of the top real estate resources for the greater Toronto area!

Jim Morelli is a top Austin TX real estate agent. Recently he consolidated his online presence to a Real Estate Blogsite. Within 60 days he has seen better search engine indexing, ’site stickiness’, Austin TX IDX search & subscription, visibility for his content [automated to various social networks], leads and more new business.

He was happy to share his success in a short interview:

Frerecks: Jim, Why go to a real estate blogsite as your primary online presence?

Morelli: I went to a blogsite as my primary and only site for three reasons: simplicity, reduced cost and better overall visitor engagement. With my website I was tired of paying big bucks to keep the content updated and the look and feel fresh. I also found that the more static the site the less potential traffic and also the higher the bounce rate. This is already proven: in the first 60 days with my dynamic blogsite my bounce rate has decresed by 50%!

Q: Why integrate your local MLS Search / IDX into your blogsite?

A: It’s important for us to build a database of direct subscribers we can continue to send good information too. We need to be on their radar screen for when they’re ‘ready to buy’… or sell. We’ve found that when we blog information on specific areas or properties of Austin we can draw buyers in and funnel them to our IDX search, both quickly and affordably. I think they come for the immediate information, then find the site easy to navigate. Once in, they quickly discover our Austin IDX search. They can subscribe to our blog, but more often than not they also sign up for property update email which is easy and straight forward to use.

Q: You’re in a super forward thinking and competitive area for online. By covering the Austin TX real estate marketplace with the blog have you seen better advertising visibility for targeted key phrases?

A: In the five years prior to having my blogsite I could never get my domain LivingNorthAustin.com on to page one with Google. For instance we target the search phrases North Austin Real Estate, North Austin Texas Real Estate or North Austin TX Real Estate. I’m 60 days into my blogsite now [relocated to LivingNorthAustin.com ] and I’m often # 1 for all three searches out of 12 million, 8 million and 2 million indexed pages. What is funny is my website provider wanted $3,000 dollars to optimize my site, which obviously I never did.

Q: Beyond the search engines, anything else you’re doing to drive overall brand visibility?

A: I am using my blogsite to automate the feed of my posts to accounts I have with Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook [via Fan page]. The goal being to drive leads back to my blogsite where I have all the information they might want. I also promote the site in every email I send, on every piece of paper I print as well linking to all searches [i.e. Realtor.com, local board etc.] so yes I am. Look, this about advertising so I’m leveraging all the opportunities available to make my Austin brand visible. The blogsite makes it easy.

Q: Have you driven any new leads or sales you can speak of with the blogsite yet?

A: We have already signed three new buyers to buyer representation agreements. They all are actively looking and will buy with in 30 days!

Real Estate Blogsites can either be designed as an 1) all encompassing standalone web presence or to 2) support any existing website.

Related Posts:

Top Edmonton AB Business forgoes Website for All Encompassing Blog

Paul Mydelski, Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex County Massachusetts RE/MAX Leading Edge Broker/Owner, recently 
committed to building a custom business blogsite for his firm. Local analysis showed there was buyer and seller 
demand for more current lifestyle, community and market information, so he decided to jump in and deploy a 
platform available for their whole team. Paul was able to share some information on his decision making process, so please read on:

Frerecks: So Paul, what got RE/MAX Leading Edge Massachusetts interested in adding a business blogging platform?

Paul Mydelski: We actually became interested in adding a Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex County MA area real estate 
business blogging platform after analyzing the profile of our buyers and sellers. Our network affiliation has 
afforded us strong brand recognition, but our consumers are often looking for information about the process of  buying and /or selling. Thus direct subscriptions are definitely a goal too. Additionally, we are looking for the  search engine optimization which can be achieved with a blog over a static website.

Frerecks: What will the focus of the RE/MAX Leading Edge Mass’ Blogsite be?

Paul Mydelski: Our website handles the dissemination of listing information, but buyers and sellers want to know about things like Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex county neighborhoods, community events and schools. Thus we’re using the blog to focus on these things to enable the consumer to make lifestyle choices along with their house choices. We also feel that if people buy into a community they are excited about, they are then inclined to contribute to that community and that’s what keeps property values high in towns like Arlington, Winchester, and Woburn… where we have offices. 

Frerecks: Will agents in the Arlington, Winchester and Woburn MA offices be entitled to blog?

Paul Mydelski: Our agents will most certainly be encouraged to blog as they are our “ears on the street” and will keep our content fresh and relevant. They will be asked to submit their posts to our blog manager for review before the posts are published.

Frerecks: Results- wise, what would you like to see in a years’ time?

Paul Mydelski: Our agents strive to become their clients’ “real estate resource for life”. Thus, in a year’s time we hope our existing and potential new clients will stay connected via our new visibility online and also direct email & RSS subscriptions. We hope they will rely on our market updates and (doesn’t everyone want to know what their home is worth?) current neighborhood news and event coverage. Hopefully the blog will also become a site for healthy discussions about things going on in the community, which may affect every local homeowner.

Frerecks: Thanks Paul. And if you don’t mind, let’s have a look at your progress with the RE/MAX Leading Edge  blogsite come the end of the year. And folks, if you’d like to reach Paul you can find him @ mydelski@leadingedgeagents.com / 781-729-5505.

Brand build, direct subscription, search & web visibility are qualities we discuss quite often when talking about the value proposition of a good advertorial business blog. While blogging offers them simultaneously, agent Kristan Cole Wasilla Alaska recently distinguished a couple more valuable qualities.

See Kristan’s recent interview on the subject:

Namely Cole is pushing answers to the web where they’re easily accessible, including her presentations, documents and forms. And, by the way, she’s not only advocating environmental consciousness, she’s saving herself a great deal of time and money! Imagine having detailed answers to questions & important forms prepared and ready to go. Rather than faxes or traditional mail systems, just email them.

Short of uploading PDFs into a post [or HTML page] for client access, with good blogs there are so many options to get environmentally conscious. We offer straight form packages for your blog or, if advanced digital form & transaction management is more your speed, Instanet Solutions offers great support.

• See Also:
  Instanet Solutions Blog, Paperless Real Estate Transaction Management Solutions
• Custom Forms or Comprehensive Lead Generation/ Lead Capture Package 

Oregon’s Costa Pacific Communities is not only a leader in the development of sustainable communities, but for how they market themselves online. Recently featured in Builder News Magazine & Professional Builder Magazine for their innovative style, we had the chance to talk to Costa Pacific Sales and Marketing Manager Andy Green about the creation of community, both on and off line:

Frerecks: “Hi Andy. Could you sum up for folks the synergies between what you’re trying to accomplish on and off line at Cost Pacific Communities?”

Green: “Sure. As a developer, our story takes us back to the days when neighborhoods were villages, not just developments built on top of each other. As a marketer, we want to blog as much Costa Pacific community information and news as possible. By touting features in our village neighborhoods, we’re creating a better sense of community for both residents and prospective buyers.”

Frerecks: “Is there anything in particular going on right now?”

Green: “Yes, the Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, is already up and running.

The vision for it has become even more than we ever imagined. It’s a thriving community model that can all but remove the automobile from the equation. As a transit-oriented development, our community is adjacent to the WES, Westside Express Service, commuter train. You could also get on a bike and ride to your grocery store or you can walk to church. Construction will also begin next year on a public primary school. You can quite literally live, work, play and learn in the Villebois community.”

Frerecks: “How does your blogging differentiate you as a developer and support Villebois and the Costa Pacific vision of community?

Green: “With Villebois we have designed a community that is not only sustainable from a building practice standpoint, but it is also a socially sustainable community where neighbors get to know neighbors, and tend to plan social activities on a regular basis. Our goal is to keep the lines of communication open between Costa Pacific and the residents in our community. We have found that this has been achieved exactly as we had planned through our blog.” 

Frerecks: “Have your blogging efforts created better visibility for Villebois online?”

Green: “Absolutely. Not only has our blog been well received by the members in our community, but it has also increased our presence in the major search engines. Traffic has seen a month over month spike in page views, unique new visitors and, obviously, return visitors.”

Frerecks: “Andy, On behalf of the Real Estate Blogsites’ audience, thanks for sharing great news and great ideas.”

Malone Hodges operates a real estate business in one of the more affluent areas of North America, Carmel and Pebble Beach CA. He began publishing with his Carmel & Pebble Beach CA Real Estate Blogsite mid September of 2008, which has served to build awareness and trust locally for him. In a brutal real estate marketplace, he’s also seeing related new business opportunities. We had the chance to ask him a few questions, which we’ll share for everyone’s benefit here.

Kinetic Knowledge Q: “Malone, what presence have you established online?”

Malone Hodges A: “I maintain a website and my real estate blogsite. I also have property specific websites for each property I list. I am lucky enough to have a unique name so if clients can remember my name it is likely they will find the blog, website, or other reference via a specific Google search. One of the most successful agents in our area has the same name as a well known actor. Even with his success it can be challenging to find him on the web given the actor and others with the same name.”

Q: “What effort do you put into blogging each week?”

A: “I try and post to some aspect of the blog each week. I use my blog’s static pages as a backbone for several URLs. This allows me to use the same interface to write the various pages, and have all these other “websites” help the blog’s position vis a vis search engines. I provide these “report” URLs to clients who are only interested in “the state of the market” snap shot and aren’t willing to scroll through a blog. For example, Carmelreport.com points to a single static page with data, graphs, and analysis about Carmel.”

Q: “Has the blog supported you in the Carmel Community?”

A: “Yes! I recently attended a school board meeting and wrote up a summary of a very tense issue [Carmel River School Boundary] in the blog. I was quoted in both local papers (I made a comment about the real estate markets impact on enrollment—the topic of the meeting) and by having the blog post up before the next morning I was one of the first pages hit when folks searched for the issue. Obviously I was indexed immediately for the post, which is how they were able to find me. I also forwarded the blog entry to the school board to make sure I had my facts right. I think they appreciated that, and ended up referring other folks to the entry.”

Q: “So the blog has been an asset to your business?”

A: “The blog is a useful asset in several situations:

1) If I get a phone call from a potential client and answer their questions about the specific property or reason for their call, I always offer to put them on my email newsletter list or send them more information. Sometimes they say, “That’s OK I’ll call you when I have questions.” I am able to respond, “Great, call me anytime. But also feel free to review the data and market analysis that I post on my Carmel / Pebble Beach real estate community news blog.” Nine times out of ten they ask for the address again and write it down. I have been contacted weeks later by some of these folks that have been to the blog, gotten comfortable with me through reading it, and then decided to work with me.

2)I point readers of my email newsletter to my blog to get updates between email newsletters and as a portal to access data/mls search etc. independent of the email.

3)The blog is an effective tool for my wife and friends. When someone asks them about the real estate market they can easily point them to my blog.”

Q: “As far as search engine marketing goes, are you shooting for organic search indexing with the blog OR is PayPerClick advertising a part of your strategy?”

A: I see the blog primarily as a service for my clients (and potential clients) and a marketing tool second. By keeping that frame of reference I have found it to be an effective marketing tool. I also use Google hundreds of times a day myself. I have only clicked on a paid link once in the last 9 months. When I am looking for information I want the best information, not the one willing to pay the most per click. I take that into consideration when I have my marketing hat on. I’m betting my target client is behaving in a similar fashion, so I’m shooting for the organic index and not using PPC.

Q: “It appears the blog has become very important in the overall strategy for your business?”

A: “Given the state of the [Carmel / Pebble Beach real estate] market, many buyers are “tracking” and trying to find the bottom. Whether that is wise is another question, but the key is to stay in contact with them while they are in the holding pattern so you are the resource they turn to when they decide to act. My blog is an important part of that strategy. There are 1,200 Realtors on the Monterey Peninsula only a fraction are still “in business” full time. The blog is an important way to demonstrate that I am.”

Related Posts:

• Hinsdale IL Realtor® Bryan Bomba on Discipline for Business Blogging
• Business Blogging Success Story: Santa Clarita & Valencia CA Realtor®

There’s an ex-police officer, turned real estate agent, in the Los Angeles CA Suburbs and he’s defining how the successful use of [real estate] blogs can drive real estate sales. Connor MacIvor proudly served the Los Angeles community for 17 years before he decided to focus his energies on local real estate and the Paris911 brand.

As marketer he doesn’t necessarily think in terms of websites or blogs, so much as he does the best means to create a highly visible & human local web presence. He feels, “If you’re a Realtor, Car Salesperson or anyone else out there that wants to reach the masses, you cannot forsake blogging. When you write about things you believe in, it is a very natural platform for the conveyance of your ideals. You’ll see results. 1% of the Realtors in the world embrace technology and blogging. Those that do are going to remain the most successful!”

We’ve spoken with MacIvor about Real Estate Blogging successes in the past and continue to marvel at his web- based marketing strategies. Particularly his various blogs, for which he credits an average of 15- 20 solid leads and 12 ‘in escrow’ sales per month since September 2007. It’s impressive stuff and Connor’s the kind of guy who’s always willing to share… so we’re calling on him again to discuss some of his experience. Please read on.

REBs: “Having established a highly visible local web presence, why create additional blogs like REO Engine and iBlog911?”

MacIvor: “Without a doubt, Blogging has caused quite a stir for us and continues to be our main thrust for generating leads and securing contacts. You and Kristen have been the catalyst for my belief in consistent and “on-topic” blogging and, if anything, REO Engine is on-topic! In the current marketplace, REOs and Foreclosures are definitely the flavor of the day. Some days we see a multitude of requests at our own MoreThanForeclosures website. I can take that information [provided by one of the four Boards Paris & I are currently members] and publish it to our highly focused REO Engine Blog [i.e. strictly foreclosed and distress properties.] With REO Engine, I can leverage links back and forth to MoreThanForeclosures.

By the way, I have used a lot of “free” blog services. They have their place, but I cannot post something on a free platform and within minutes see myself surface in Google [usually page no. 1] for the key words I target like I have with Kinetic Blogs. With the Free platforms, we’re buried deep and that’s a waste of our time… which is money.”

REBs: “So, linking between your blogs & websites has helped to drive visibility?”

MacIvor: “Yes, where appropriate. We can also leverage our primary website, Paris911’s Main Blog and iBlog911.com.”

REBs: “And sharing more information on the web, in your view, is the successful strategy versus less… or hording it?”

MacIvor: “I see myself as one that is not into the “steering” of clients. Clients are much too savvy for that. We give freely all of the information available for the “client” to make their best decision. When we do, we believe they’ll have ample opportunity to qualify us as genuine. Particularly with regards to first time home purchasing, investing, downsizing, selling to move up or even away. REOengine is actually a driver for us with this segment of the marketplace. Furthermore, it provides another foundation to emblazon our brand Paris911 to the masses, which is something that makes us different”. Obviously there are a lot of Realtors in Los Angeles, too many that have fallen off the map. We’re respectful of causation and keep a watchful eye on our client goals, always placing them in high regard.”

REBs: “Has the use of social networks served your business locally?”

MacIvor: “If you take a look at sheer numbers related to FaceBook, for example, there are over 100 Million subscribers.  Those numbers are huge. With it, Twitter, Plaxo and others we have a very far reaching approach to branding and the implementation of our relational business model. Being members of the social networks, becoming friends of others out there in the world, globally, nationally and locally has definitely benefited us. We’ve established Paris911 brand recognition and connected with folks looking to utilize our services.”

REBs: “Do you leverage linking there too?”

MacIvor: “Sure, it’s a conglomeration of hyperlinks back and forth. It certainly helps to rank our independently branded web presence higher for keyword searches.”

REBs: “Do you feel that you’ve established a trusted local brand?”

MacIvor: “I think the story of Paris911 is unique. I quit the LAPD 03/2007, when I started to see how the expansion of my former part time [my wife's full time] brand ‘Paris911′ would be effective. I believed in technology, but our start was with a focus on Law Enforcement – LAPD to be specific. Our claim in the beginning was to exclusively serve Law Enforcement, Firefighters and Educators, but NOW it envelops many others who utilize our services.

I don’t check others stats, listings, or productivity. I am focused on our clients, first, and I am not about to water down the formula! Branding is much more than a fancy logo – it needs to be something that subscribes to the “world view” and our stance is to provide a platform that best serves our clients. Clients are researching people that provide real estate services and blogging makes us human. So yes, blogging has established a trusted local brand for us with our clients.” 

Related Posts:

• Real Estate Blogging Success Story: Santa Clarita Realtor®
• Business Blogging Interview: Santa Clarita Realtor Connor MacIvor

Leading Ledyard / Gales Ferry CT Realtor Linda Davis remains an early adopter of new web- based marketing techniques. She’s been super creative, using a combination of at least 3 blogs, 1 website and 3 forms of social networking to build competitve visibility for her business online. Davis took to real estate business blogging years ago and has been honored as a leader in the area with speaking engagements on the subject at prestigious industry events including Inman San Francisco and ReMax’s National Show. I was honored to share the podium with Linda at the MLS of Long Island Tech Fair in Woodbury, New York recently myself.

Always one to share her knowledge [see Real Estate Solutions Blog] with other Real Estate Professionals, we thought to ask if she would share some of her great real estate blogging & social networking experience with you – our audience. Linda sets a great example for folks just getting started with their own online strategies, demonstrating how she’s developed a core local following, a trusted local brand and new business… please read on:

REBs: “Linda, Can you tell us about your blogging and how you’ve gotten creative with it?”

Davis: “Well, I’m not a prolific writer. Writing takes me a lot longer than a typical blogger. I try to make up for my lack of writing skills by being creative. Every Friday I do a “Photo Friday”. I like to take photographs throughout the week and usually select something that is fun. I generally don’t use a listing photo on photo Friday unless it is something unique. I also do “From my seat on the Ledyard Town Council” where I talk about something I’ve experienced as a town council member.  I recently started something called “From my inbox to you” where I write a post based on an email I’ve received. I have attempted to have a guest author but have not found anyone to stick with it!”

REBs: “I understand you leverage social networking- can you share where and maybe elaborate a little on how?”

Davis: “My blogging efforts are usually in conjunction with other social networking activities. I use Twitter, Facebook and Flickr to publicize my blog posts.”

REBs: “What about Blogging versus traditional advertising or even PayPerClick- what has your strategy been?”

Davis: “I have been able to reduce my Pay Per Click budget since my blogging drives a good bit of  traffic to my IDX site. As I said when I spoke at Inman in San Franciso. “If you have a crappy business, a blog won’t help”. A blog is just one more tool in the tool box and works in conjunction with a website, print advertising and even farming. Together each of those tools helps promote the brand you create.”

REBs: “Has the blog translated to awareness of you and your local real estate business?”

Davis: “I seldom blog about national topics and prefer to focus on a small local market. As a result I’ve managed to collect a nice group of local followers. It really is rewarding to have someone stop me in the grocery store and mention they liked what I blogged about that week.”
 
REBs: “Can you give examples of how actual new clients, listings or sales can be / are directly related to your efforts?” 

Davis: “When I get a call from a client interested in listing their home, I always asked why they called me. I have had several clients say it was because they read my blog and liked what I had to say, that I appeared very knowledgeable about the market, and that I was a “straight shooter”.  I also had someone say they called me because I seemed like I was a nice person. And I even had someone call me because I did a post about my cat.” 

If you’re in the Real Estate business than you’re probably aware of Howard Brinton’s STAR POWER® Systems, the leading organization nationally for Real Estate Education. Did you know they have a Blog?

STAR POWER® Systems is truly an idea sharing network for Real Estate selling methods & techniques; however, the coaching comes from the folks who make it happen in the field every day. It comes from some of the 300 top producing Realtors® in America – The Top Producing Real Estate Stars!

Nowadays The Stars are blogging personal knowledge and experience, including some inspirational blog posts in what are truly tough times, to the STAR POWER® Systems Real Estate Educational Blog. So, if you aspire to be a top producing Realtor®, have a look and consider subscribing to what will be an ongoing commitment on the part of STAR POWER® Systems.

Business Blogs are multi- level resources demonstrated here by our client and friend James Selig who is dealing with very serious problems in his marketplace. In his case, publishing to the web has shifted focus slightly from search engine marketing to community [public relations] resource.

To quote James, "Galveston has begun what will be a slow recovery from the onslaught of Hurricane Ike. Most buildings, though not all, had flood waters and many had some wind damage. However, Galvestonians are resilient and love their city and island, and they will find a way to use this opportunity to make Galveston even better than before. Maybe I can assist by leveraging this blog- please lets all share. If you have information to share or questions to ask, hit the link below that says _comments to post a question or comment."

Amidst the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Ike, Selig has decided to shift focus and dedicate his Galveston TX real estate business blogging to local progress and the recovery from Hurricane Ike. His blogging effort will NOW center on what he hears, sees and knows in the way of local Galveston TX recovery knowledge. Hopefully, it will bring comments and information from others centered around getting Galveston back to its former self.

And who better to report on the recovery of local property and community in Galveston TX than life long native and 22 year Galveston TX real estate broker James Selig? Please tune in as his effort not only demonstrates why a business blog is so advantageous for real estate professionals in local marketplaces, but how agile it can be in terms of its immediate usage.

Galveston TX Real Estate Blog

Galveston TX Real Estate Website

Immediate Coverage:

• Personal Thoughts From an After-Ike Visit to Galveston
• Some Notes From a UTMB Doc
• The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Announces Blog
• Galveston Begins Recovery From Hurricane Ike