Are you online? Or do you just have a website?

The world of real estate marketing has changed forever. And for the better.

Running ads, installing boards, printing fliers and having a website are still valid methods of marketing properties and attracting listings, however opportunities abound for the smart Agent who is willing to roll his or her sleeves up and enter the world of Web 2.0.

“Web what?!”, I hear you say. Don’t worry too much about the fancy name, Web 2.0 is simply the current incarnation of the internet that enables people and businesses to become much more involved via communication, collaboration and sharing of information. You simply need to know this…The web is no longer a static medium that allows you to post information in the hope that the right people will find it.

What today’s Internet allows is an amazing opportunity to interact with your Clients and prospects like never before. Here’s how:

YouTube: Google own YouTube. Google believes that videos enhance your Internet experience. So any business that uploads videos to YouTube will be looked on favourably by the world’s most popular search engine. And that’s got to be a good thing. Here’s some ideas of what you could upload:

• Tours of homes.
• Selling tips.
• Buying tips.
• Suburb overviews.
• Staff introductions.

Twitter: A simple way of getting your message out there in 140 characters or less. Twitter is a great way to share what’s happening in your business and industry, to enter conversations that others are having about your industry and to connect with prospects and others who are interested in what you do and have to offer.

Podcasts: These are simply audio programs that can be downloaded from your website or Apple’s iTunes store. Podcasts are a great way to position yourself as an expert and provide your prospects with valuable information. Once again, topics could include buying and selling tips, suburb overviews or special guest interviews with local personalities.

Google Adwords: There are two ways of rising to the top of Google. One way is to do everything within your powers to ensure your website is key word rich and highly search engine optimised. The other is to use Google’s pay-per-click advertising service. Basically, you ask Google to run your ad on the right hand side of their search results when someone keys in a search phrase relevant to your business – For example…Homes for sale in (insert suburb).

LinkedIn: There shouldn’t be an Agent in the world that doesn’t have a profile on this highly effective networking site. Over 45 million business people use it to exchange information, ideas and opportunities. It’s simply a great way of building your online personal brand.

Now, I don’t expect you to race off now and start doing all of the above…I know for some of you what I’m proposing is quite alien. However, the wonderful thing about all of the above marketing channels is this:

• When combined, they have a significant effect in building your online presence, so that when prospects do a search for a business like yours (and they do) you will rise to the top.
• A presence in everyone of them by default leads back to your website.
• They’re free…the investment is generally one of time, not money.
• Using them will put you way ahead of the game. And afterall, isn’t the idea to create a brand that’s so irresistible that it makes competing with you far less desirable? I think so.

So, are you online? Or have you just got a website?

Many Clients ask me if they should be utilising the various social mediums available to them.

As long as they’re up for providing ongoing content, and they (or someone within their business) has an inkling about how to find their way around the web, then my view is GIVE SOCIAL MEDIA A GO. And here’s 12 reasons why:

1. To engage in conversations with their customers. (Do we need any more reasons?!). Assuming we do then…
2. To attract prospects.
3. To provide customer service (answering questions, giving advice).
4. To gain information on our competition.
5. To exchange information with others who know more than you.
6. To extend your reach globally (this may force you to develop a new offer).
7. It costs nothing but time (compare that to other marketing channels).
8. It’s fun (nothing wrong with that!).
9. It’s measurable and accountable (compare that to advertising, sponsorship, direct mail).
10. To attract quality employees, suppliers.
11. To attract media attention.
12. To position yourself as an expert…or at least someone who knows what they’re talking about.

Let’s create the ultimate list. Why do you believe businesses should use social media?

I speak to Clients and groups of business owners weekly about what it takes to build a strong brand.

The first thing I respond with is that BRANDS ARE EARNT…not bought. You buy a business name…you create a brand.

The second point is that it’s important to agree on a simple definition of a brand. For me…A BRAND IS SIMPLY AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT. Already we’ve covered some seriously important concepts that we’ll leave for another day.

So, in no particular order here’s the ten things every business owner must do to ensure they build a strong, healthy brand:

1. Know what your brand stands for…whilst I may be a marketing consultant in every day speak…my brand  is all about making businesses and charities irresistible. That’s what I stand for. Identifying what your brand stands for is actually the first part of my Brand Character process.
2. Do things properly…If this means do less, then do less. Avoid cheap, shoddy anything…Printing, design, packaging, photography, copy etc etc. If this means buying a cheaper office chair, then get a cheaper office chair!
3. Have one designer do everything…logo, fliers, website, signage, PowerPoint, stationary etc. Make sure they know what they’re doing though…particularly in regards to your website.
4. Know your core values…These should form the basis of all decisions you make in your business and around your brand.
5. Identify your prospects’ problem…As brand builders we are problem solvers. Make sure your brand clearly says “Hey, I can fix your problem!”
6. Identify your brand’s personality…Then ensure it comes through in all its marketing.
7. Be unique…Take a look at what the competition is doing, identify the gap and fill it with your brand. If all the brands in your category are black then be white. Great brands challenge their category.
8. Be consistent…Make sure you present your brand to the market place in exactly the same way no matter what the medium. You are creating one brand…not 10!
9. Socialise it…Make sure every person within your business knows what your brand stands for. It’s useless having everyone on different pages.
10. Make it visually really interesting…There are so many boring logos out there…Don’t be one of them. Be brave…it pays off.
11. Under promise and over deliver…All good brands do this. Remember, I promised 10 points…well this is the 11th ;0)

This is not the definitive list but we could make it one…What would you add?

Too many business owners and marketers get carried away concerning themselves with where to place their message, when they really should spend more time getting their message right in the first place.

I couldn’t count the amount of times I’ve heard over the years new Clients say to me “Tim, I’ve got to get a website…I should have a blog…I need an ad in such and such magazine…I should be on Twitter.”

“Should you?” is my usual response. “Why?” Or “Porquoi?” if I’m in a French kind of mood.

The reality is…all of the above-mentioned mediums are best viewed as simply channels…ways if you like…of getting your message to market. And some may be right for your business…others may not be. I know it’s the fun and ‘sexy’ side of marketing…getting the website or the ad…but ‘sexy’ doesn’t sell (sex does! But that’s another blog post in itself).

So…let’s play real life for a minute. A Client of mine asked me this week to set them up with a Twitter account.

“Porquoi?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve been reading about it everywhere,” came her reply.

“So?” I asked (I’m a fellow of few words).

Then there was silence…I’d got her! I’d asked the right question and she didn’t have an answer. (Not really…I’m not harsh!).

Then I chimed in and told her the facts…nothing negative…just the facts about needing to constantly update, the need to have a breif and stick to it…the need to respond in a timely manner … blah blah blah.

“Oh…That’s not my style…I need something less demanding”, she said. We then went on and identified five mediums that were much more suited to her, her business and most importantly her customers.

Now this post is not about or anti Twitter…anything but (I love Twitter as a marketing channel)…It’s a post about spending more time focusing on what to say, not where to say it. Message first. Medium second.

What do you think?

(Author’s note: If you’d like to learn about how this applies to Twitter then register for my upcoming Webinar).

There’s a key question in any good marketing communication’s brief that asks something like…”What’s the single most important thing you want to tell your prospects?”

It’s based on some consumer behavior theory that states that as humans we aren’t overly good at taking in too much information at any one time. Ironically, as Marketers we often feel the need to bombard our prospects with information overload…It comes in this many colours, it’s price is this, you can buy it here, the various models are these blah blah blah.

It takes courage to be single-minded…particularly in paid media where you want to make every second or column centimeter count. But the reality is that all great communication is single-minded…look at the ads that appeal to you and I’ll bet they’re single-minded.

So, how can you apply this to your business. Easy…figure out what you want your prospects to do and then decide what is the most important (AKA compelling) thing you could share with them in order to inspire them in to action.

What brands do this well in my book? Apple. Seth Godin. Can you add to this list?

What’s your single-minded proposition?

I’m excited…My new Flip HD pocket video camera arrives next week.

Besides it being a gadget which excites me anyway…it is so much more than that. It will take the marketing of my business (and my Client’s businesses) to a whole new level. All of a sudden us little guys can have commercials…and interesting ones at that. It’s not as if there haven’t been video cameras around for a long time, but this bad boy provides me with two dedicated hours of HD footage all in the size of a small mobile phone.

Us little guys can communicate with our prospects in a more personal way. It’s a shot at the viral spotlight.

But don’t worry, I’m not about to bombard you with stupid videos…as always, the magic is in the message…not the medium.

Here’s 4 ways I’m intending to use it:

1. When I see an interesting marketing idea when I’m out and about I can film and comment on it.
2. I can interview someone there and then…no need for appointments. Watch out seminar attendees!
3. I can do vox pops out on the street..get consumers views on a particular topic.
4. I can quickly capture a thought whilst driving a long (I’d pull over of course!) and not have to try and remember it until I’m next in front of my Mac.

Video blogging is opening up a whole new marketing channel for businesses and charities who would never have thought that in  million years they could have such a campaign.

So watch this space for some upcoming video action that I promise will add value to your business.

Does video blogging appeal to you? What would you use it for?

Google page rank SEO

Author’s note…I’m no SEO guru (at all)…I can barely spell it! BUT…

…that said, I just reviewed a slide presentation made at Wordcamp in San Francisco recently by one of the Google honchos.

Some of it was pretty complicated (there was even a math’s algorithm!) but within the complication was some gold…real gold.

It explained in simple terms how Google ranks pages. The answer:

1. Be relevant.
2. Be reputable.

To be RELEVANT you need to ask yourself:

1. What do I love?
2. What am I really good at doing?
3. What do I have to say?

Think about the key words users are searching and include them naturally in your copy and posts…and this includes image and video search as well…we must tag those slippery suckers!

To be REPUTABLE, you need to:

1. Be interesting.
2. Update often.
3. Be useful…do original research or reporting.
4. Find a niche.
5. Give great information.
6. Make lists…”The top 20 ways…”
7. Create controversy.
8. Make a video.

I’ve taken the gold out of a much longer slide presentation that you can view here.

What do you do to build your Google ranking?

So I ran a webinar on Twitter and Business today….Click here to view it.

It goes for 30 minutes (plus 15 minutes of questions) and you can view it below.

Why’s it worth watching? Mmmm…well it shares with you some key concepts that, if you spend a moment understanding them, will enable you to develop a mindset around Twitter that will allow you to make your tweeting work hard as an effective sales channel for your business. That’s all!

I also give you practical HOW TO’s on ensuring your tweeting looks right and stays on brief. Enjoy…and please feel free to share the love and RT this link.

Here’s the webinar link again.

Every now and then I invite another small business owner to share their personal marketing experiences, tips and tricks. Today’s guest blogger is Jeri Wilson, owner of Hawkeye Business Services. I came across Jeri on Twitter where she was offering her Followers a commission for referrals. I love seeing small business owners using Twitter to sell…not blatantly…not every tweet…but a little offer amongst some tips and updates is a good thing. Jeri does just that…although at the time of writing, I think she’d twitted just one too many Ping.fm tunes! Ah well, trap for young players!

If you’re a Bookkeeper or Accountant this is a must read. If you’re stuck for some ideas to get more customers it’s also worth the next five minutes of your life. To anyone who says Bean Counters aren’t creative…Jeri just proved you wrong. Check this…

“You must believe in a product completely before you can start to market it. If you are passionate, confident and knowledgeable about your product, understand how it has benefited you and be able to explain clearly how it will benefit others, then you will be on the right track to successfully market your product. The key to the success is showing people the real you. Don’t try and change yourself to be something else, people won’t believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.

I work in an industry that is based solely on trust and the most successful marketing tool is word of mouth from happy customers. As a bookkeeper, the quality of my work, my professionalism, simplicity and ability to handle client affairs with complete confidentiality is what makes happy clients. One of the most useful tools for a bookkeeper is being able to simply describe to clients how bookkeeping works and what the information means to them and their business.

The bookkeeping industry is flooded with undertrained bookkeepers that do not provide quality service for the price they are being paid. With an average bookkeeper, in some cases the client would have been better off saving their money than having a bookkeeper because the bookkeeper had no idea at all. The most difficult hurdle that I currently face relates to the potential client not knowing whether I am a good bookkeeper or an average one until they give me go.

For new clients, I provide a free initial consultation to review their current bookkeeping system and advise any improvements that need to be made for their bookkeeping system to provide them with the relevant information and meet their expectations. The clients can then either:

1.    Take my free advice and use their own resources to improve their system
2.    Use us to train their staff how to implement and manage the bookkeeping system
3.    Use us to review what they are doing periodically to ensure they are on the right track
4.    Use us to complete some or all of their bookkeeping tasks

In order to get the clients initially, I offer commissions (from 2.5% to 10%) to family, friends and colleagues who refer new clients to Hawkeye Business Services. Imagine earning up to $5 per hour for every hour someone else works on your friend’s bookkeeping. It benefits everybody: the client, the referrer, the bookkeeper and Hawkeye Business Services.

I am also very passionate about helping other people who have to do bookkeeping (whether they are professional bookkeepers or not) to be able to understand what they are doing when recording their transactions and be confident that the figures they are producing accurately reflect how their business is performing. That is why I am developing a Bookkeeping Training Network for people who want to learn and be confident in their bookkeeping skills, as well as a Bookkeeper’s Start-up Kit for those who want to move into bookkeeping professionally.”

Thanks a gazillion Jeri…So readers…Which of Jer’s ideas are you going to try?

A few days ago I put a simple question out on LinkedIn…What’s your best small business marketing idea?

Within 48-hours I had 31 responses…Ah, the power of social networks!

My idea is to join online and offline social networks…Join and start conversations.

Here are the 31 others… 31 Small Business Marketing Ideas.

If you use one and benefit then please comment.

If you are already using one and benefit…then please comment.

And if you’d like to join me on LinkedIn then please do by clicking here.