Happy New Year!
As I reflect on all that we have accomplished on ActiveRain in 2008, I have to sit back in awe of the amount of growth in members, and in blogging talent! So much hard work has taken place in this challenging year and I have still learned so much and am anxious to learn more in 2009!
With all the blogging-mania here on AR, don't let the awesome blog content you wrote in 2008 sit in the blogosphere! Re-organize it, summarize it, and FLAUNT it on your website in the form of new pages of content to target and attract your ideal clients!
Not only will it refresh your website and give you more Google-Cred, you will be creating a library of sights, sounds and information for your potential business!
I am sure that this year your blogs have provided great content to your readers, but what's happenning with your website..? Is it still just the same ol Home Page, About Me, Seller info, Buyer info, Listings etc?
Here are 3 ways to revitalize your content for your website to help you get started:
1. Re-organize your blogs into material for your "Ideal Client". Target the content to attract them at all stages of information gathering. Whether its First Time Home Buyers, Buyers or Sellers in your Farm, you can add a page or two that "speaks" to them, and direct them to other pages on your site.
Example: Attract buyers/sellers in/to a particular community by re-organizing community or event content. Use your videos, and photos to make it come alive.
2. Develop different pages for each type of media you use. Since clients are different in the way they organize and collect their information, make it easy for them to find the information they are seeking in the media that speaks to them. Take your Photos, videos, podcasts, and webinars and put them into "Collections" or albums on your website. Tip: you can also take your newsletters and create down-loadable and viewable PDF's. MyTechOpinion.com offered a great resource called Issu-Smartlook which allows a reader to open your documents from your website and see the pages in full color!
3. FLAUNT an on-line MEDIA Page, and have it ready for 2009! Did you speak at events, give any interviews in the newspaper or on TV? Travel to NAR, NYC Connect, or earn more certifications? Take those achievements and put them in the form of press releases, articles and create links to those events if you can. If you are an expert and growing and achieving don't be afraid to show that side of yourself. Your ideal clients want to trust you, get to know you, and your achievements are a large part of it.
Re-Charge, Re-define and Re-Vitalize your hard work in 2008! Wishing you all the best for a prosperous 2009!
*******************************************************************************
Ready to Get Creative? Laura Monroe | Real Estate Virtual Assistant
| Creative Agent Solutions.com| Copyright 2009
I am the CEO of Creative Agent Solutions.com. My team and I assist real estate professionals in implementing online marketing strategies, Wordpress, social media, and business systems to catapult exposure and dominance in their marketplace, while focusing on productivity and the bottom line.
Copyright 2010 Laura Monroe | Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Creative Agent Solutions.com 916.343.3823
Great Blog!
Question, how does bloging really help you catapult your business? Please advise.
Laura - I like your ideas here. I have actually done some of this myself, although I need to do even more.
Laura, all excellent idea's. It is shame to let all those posts and speaking go into obvibulan. Sorry spell check isn't working for me. Have a great year.
Love VA's. Use them all the time.
Laura - these are some great ideas! Sometimes we work so hard on these posts - it is a shame to let them only be used once.
Hi Victor~ Great question! To put it simply, you are what you publish, and the more you blog the more of an expert you can become to your clients, the more personable and transparent you are the more clients get to know you and trust you which is one of the stepping stones to lead conversion. But one of the most important aspects is that search engines like Google, take your blog content and make it almost immediately available to the clients who are searching online. Content is king and fresh content gives you lots of Google juice!
Hi Jason~ Happy New Year blip-buddy:) The good thing about it is, you can always go back a re-develop your content when you have time..one page at a time.
Hi Rick~ LOL! Thanks:)
Hi Becky~ Don't let them go to waste! You might be suprised at the pattern you've developed for your target clients..its just a matter of tweaking it a bit.
Laura,...Thanks! Great info,.....we all could use some xtra Google juice for 2009 !
I do like your third comment. I have an agent that used to be a prominent pro football player, and his technique that he learned was to be in front of a camera with a person of great interest, such as a Mayor, Governer, movie star....whatever.....as the public will grab on to that substantially more than if the picture or video was just of him......
Hi Laura, And Happy New Year to you ! Excellent ideas for enhancing the content of our agent sites. Hope your 2009 is the best ever !
What kind of blog are you talking about? The one we have on Active Rain?
Or do you mean an outside blog? If so , what kind would you use?
Would you link it to you site? Or make a whole new site?
I am new to all of this and any help would be great.
Thanks, Alisa
www.TheBeachPeach.com
Hi Angela~You're welcome! Yes, keep blogging for that extra Google Juice. Happy New Year!
Hi Tim~ Yes, I would imagine that putting the emphasis on the subject of the video or photo, is better that creating stuff that is just all about you. You earn trust that way.
Hi Bill~ Happy New Year to you too! thanks for stopping on your day off:)
Hi Alisa~ Your blog could be your Active Rain blog, your outside Active rain blog OR your Wordpress, Typepad etc blog. If you have written in a blog this year you can still use any of that info. If you are just starting out in blogging an Active Rain blog is great to start with to get your juices flowing and get great feedback. The when you are ready you can have an outside blog that enhances your content on your website. If you are interested in both a blog and website..give me a call or email. I have some ideas for you:)
Hi Laura, great ideas. Congratulations on the gold star!
great idea, I have an awesome series of buyer posts that would work well for this.
Thanks for a great post.
I have also incorporated some of your ideas and have the others on the "back shelf" it is time to get them on the "front shelf"
Happy New Year
Tony
Excellent post, and you made me immediately think of things I could be doing on my site. Thank you!
I like your ideas on ehnaching my web site. Now to get to work and just do it....thanks for the motivation.
Hi David~ Thank you, and thank YOU! (wink)
Hi Michael~ Great, now get to work on put them on your website..I'll be checking, lol!
Hi Tony~ Congrats on the early start. Just a page or two at a time still works.
Hi Li~ You are so welcome, Happy 2009!
Laura, very innovative ideas for leveraging blogs and web sites together to have an impact on your readers and clients. I like also that you promote getting out "offline" to NAR and Inman Connect events to network around face to face with people. It is a balance of course between online and offline. Happy New Year.
Laura, rock on !!! What a great post - you got me pumped up. The blog gets updated all the time but you are right, the website does not have as many changes for us. Great ideas ! And yes, btw, we are going to RE Connect in NYC next week and is a good reminder to write a press release about that of some sort after the fact !
Hi Rebecca~ Thanks for stopping by:) Have a great New Year and much success to you!
Hi Gary~ I think you are right. The balance of our personas offline and online can often be the one thing that bridges a gap and gets a client to initiate a connection.
Hi Christopher & Stephanie~ Yeah Baby!! This is a great ime to create a press release and combine it with photos and an article on the new info you learn in NYC. (have fun btw:)
GREAT ideas, was just planning on doing some of this for 2009 and now I am spurred on to do it faster. THANKS for the wisdom.
I have two things to say to you Laura -
1) Great job! Really good information & you deserve the feature.
2) Thanks a lot! Now my Realtor mother just read this and I have a to do list as long as my desk! : )
Happy New Year!
always looking for Google Cred --- ;) best of luck in the New Year -- JE
Hi Laura
An outstanding blog with idea and information regarding targeting into your niche. Great job.
Good luck and success
Lou Ludwig
Laura: This is a great idea. We have lots of great information packed away in past blog post.. why not bring them forward.
HI Terrylynn~ You're welcome..sometimes all we need is a little push huh? Go get em!
Hi Chris~LOL! I just thought I'd throw a little work at ya!! Have a great New Year Chris!!((hugs))
Hi Jason~ "Google- Cred" is the best:) IMHO:)
Hi Lou~ Thanks so much for the well wishes! A very happy New Year to you too!
Hi Roland~ Yes, you certainlyu do have lots of info. I'm always amazed at how much! I can never keep up:)
Laura, EXCELLENT post...I agree about revitalizing our blog posts. After all we've spent hours and hours writing them. Have a wonderful 2009!
Congratulations on your gold star! ;-)
Recycling your posts - gotta love it!
Hi Teri~ With all the blood, sweat and tears we put into out blogs, its good to rememebr there is always someone who hasdn't read your masterpiece! happy New Year!
Hi Gena~ LOL...just for you, a nice way to put a little green in our blogs:) I hope you have a very happy and prosperous New Year! (((hugs)))
That is a great idea! I am actually working on a new website right now and I think this would help a lot. It is also going to help me in 2009 as I keep it in the back of my mind for recycling in 2010!!!
Congrats on the Feature and Happy New Year!
Laurie these are excellent tips, why not get mileage out of the things you accomplished in 2008. I better get busy.
Laura,
My blog is automatically sent to my website. My webmaster did that for me. Thanks!
Pete Olsen
Rent To Own Homes, LLC
www.50statesrent2own.com
Congrats on the feature! Your post has really gotten me motivated. Lots to do in 2009!
Just recently added my blog to my website.
Stats say that page is getting quite a few hits.
Ah the ever expanding universe of the internet.
Re-organize it, summarize it, and FLAUNT it
Good evening Laura,
Very interesting idea. Would you include re-blogging as part of this strategy?
great ideas to recahrge and revitalize our 2009 blogging, thanks, and BTW your site looks great!
Hi Laura. Brilliant. I am going to work on this!!!
Laura, I like #3. We are always promoting and marketing ourselves. ALWAYS!
Join my NEW group for professionals who work from their home office at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice
Regina P. Brown
Laura, what a great idea!
Laura, thanks much - great post. I have my blog linked to the website, however I have not considered making pages of some of the material.
You and I are on the same page...its something I'm working on now!
Laura, great advice. With over 500 posts on my several blogs, I have tried to be "original all the time". The difficulty with this is that it becomes very difficult to find content on the blog, and finding stuff is what this game is all about. Re-purposing and re-organizing posts could make it easier for consumers to navigate blog sites, and with a few updates make the info current.
Laura,
Good points. I have over 800 articles spread over 6 blogs. I'm not running out of ideas for artciles, but I am running out of time to write them.
I have neglected my website somewhat, and your article reminds me that I need to post those articles there as well.
Brian Madigan
Laura,
You have a real gift, love your blog and insightful posts.
Jim
Great ideas and being new I plan on using them! Have a great 2009!
great ideas and thanks for the post. best wises for 2009
To search all the current home listings in Charleston, SC, please visit http://www.CharlestonPierPartners.com
Randall Sandin, 843-209-9667, rsandin@carolinaone.com
Excellent suggestions. Don't forget a Contact me page and your contact information (phone/email) listed on the homepage in a place easily seen by readers.
You may also want to try blogsigs.com which automatically adds your latest blog post title and link to your email signatures.
Wishing everyone at AR a great 2009.
Excelllent points. I had to redo all of the posts on my outside blog (long story) and while I did so I improved and updated them. It was a lot of work but I love the end result!
Laura, happy new year! Sent you a couple of emails but never heard back. Hope all is going great for you and business is good!
Laura - excellent points as always. I'm with Chris - now I have lots of updating to do for my clients - LOL - it's all good and congrats on the feature. You continue to inspire me and you always have such great ideas! ~Anne Marie