12 Real Estate Blog Posts You Should Write Immediately

16. March 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

Got a real estate blog? If so, you already know the value of getting “found” online. Hopefully you are in the 20%  10% of real estate agents that are actually using it regularly. The 80/20 rule is more like 90/10 in regards to REALTORS® that actively blog. Every real estate agent I speak with wants more business – but many don’t realize the path of least resistance is tied to their real estate blog. That being said, here are 12 real estate blog posts you should write immediately.

1) The Property Blog Post. Do you have a listing? Write about it! Where is it? What is it? and What is so great about it. Sell it baby! Many real estate agents set it and forget it. They place a listing on the MLS and leave it there. While this is a great way to sell it – co broke – it’s also a great way to miss out on buyer leads. Create a post about your listing, add lots of [good] pictures focus on humans, not search engines. Don’t have any listings? Ask your broker if you can “borrow” someone else’s.

2) The Subdivision Blog Post. Are you married? No I am not hitting on you, I’m serious. . .are you? I’m married – have been for 10 years. I tell you this because I am living in a home right now that my wife found, it wasn’t even on the Multiple Listing Service. How did she find it? She, like many women, knew exactly what subdivision she wanted to live in. I had no clue but she would drive by her favorite subdivision(s) in the hope that she spotted our new home. Obviously she did. That was 6 years ago, today many consumers know where they want to live. Rather than drive out of their way they search – Google. “Fort Myers Home For Sale”, “Homes For Sale Naples”

3) The City Blog Post. Are all cities the same? Let me help you with this one. NO.  Consumers don’t just pack up and move anymore. They ask Google a question. A well optimized blog post about your favorite city can help you get “found”.

4) The “What Is” Blog Post what is a short sale? Sure you know but does the consumer? Probably not. Yes, they may know what the term means but could they really know all the intricacies that go into a short sale? NO. Writing a blog post about something like “what is” can help you get found. Consumers do not just decide they are going to short sale, they seek to gather information about it first. A well optimized blog post about your “what is” could help you grow your real estate business.

5) The Process Blog Post. Tell me. What is the process for buying a Bank Owned or REO home? Do I just write a purchase contract, get an answer back on 24 – 48 hours and close escrow in 30 days? I hear you laughing. Writing a blog post about the process of buying an REO, selling a home or even buying a resale home can help you get found online. Unless they live under a rock, consumers have heard that buying an REO is a different animal than buying a resale home. Tell them all about it. I guarantee there are hundreds of people looking right now for the process of buying a bank owned home in Florida.

6) The Testimonial Blog Post If you follow my blog you know “It’s not about You”. Well in this instance I will tell you that it is. Confusing right? Create a post about you. Not why you are such a great REALTOR® but others saying why you are such a great REALTOR®. How did you help them? What was unique about you? Have you ever researched a product on Amazon? If so you know there are reviews from others that have bought that product. Most of us are swayed to buy or not buy a product by the reviews of others. And get this, we don’t even have to know the people reviewing the product. If enough people say something is good or bad, that is typically enough for us. This is called social influence or social proof. A well written testimonial post can help consumers choose you over the other REALTOR® that chooses to talk about how “great” he/she is.

7) The Educational Blog Post. What are the property taxes in Florida? What about sales taxes? What’s assessed value?  New York State property taxes are night and day different than Florida. You pay $2600 for a home in Florida, someone else pays close to $12,000 for a home in NY with roughly the same assessed value. Much of the property taxes collected in NY go to education [and prisons - shhhh], with 2 grown children, it can’t be much fun to pay that much in taxes. Taxes is just one of the reasons people are fleeing [lack of jobs, cost of living, limited social programs, cold weather, crime] high tax and cold weather states like NY, NJ, PE, CT, MA RI, VT. Writing a post designed to educate the consumer can help you get found online and position yourself as the expert.

The Best 10 Deals Blog Post As a REALTOR®, do you know what a good deal is? Of course! I have owned as many as 12 homes, they have been different sizes and colors, in different locations but they all have something in common. I wanted a deal on all of them. Writing a post about the 10 best deals in your market can help you get found online and help your content get shared. People do like to share deals with their friends you know – Groupon, Living Social, Daily Deals etc.

9) The Best 5 Deals For Investors Blog Post Ya know who else loves deals? Investors. In 2005 investors from around the country converged on Florida in search of “the deal”. They bought homes sight unseen from REALTORS® they had never seen or even met before. Why? The deal. Create a post about your “5 best deals for investors” and why. Use investor language – cost per square foot, comps, cash flow, lease rates, vacancy rates etc. and sell the sizzle, not the steak. Investors are looking for deals. Help them find you by creating your 5 best deals for investors.

10) The Problem Solver Blog Post Everything in the real estate space is “unicorns and bunnies”. Nothing ever goes wrong. Ever. Yeah right. Problems happen all the time! I know that, you know that but does the consumer? The test of a great REALTOR is not the actual sale but how they react if and when something goes wrong. You overcome challenges and problems all day – almost every day. Creating a post about a problem that occurred and how you overcame it to help your client can help differentiate you from your competition that more likely than not – will talk about themselves. [I’m Great!]

11) The “Story” Blog Post. I find that stories keep my followers and subscribers more engaged. Anyone can write matter of fact – some people are AMAZING at it. Creating a story about something that actually happened can help you not only get found but show your true personality and sense of humor – [serious face] if you have one. “It started as a normal Saturday, I was showing homes to Mr. and Mrs Johnson when . . . .” finish that story.

12) The Question Blog Post. Once you build up a following from writing ROCKSTAR content your target audience naturally wants to read, you can start to ask them what they would like to know about. What questions can YOU answer for THEM?  Rather than creating content “I think” you want to read about, I can ask you what you would like me to cover in my next blog post or video. I get calls and emails from Realtors across the country [as far away as Hawaii] asking questions – How Can I Get More Business? How Can I Help My Clients? Can You Teach Me To. . ., I look forward to answering their questions on this blog. You can do the same thing. You want to talk about engagement? There it is!

When you are done with my suggestions – you are not done. You see, in Internet marketing there is always someone – a competitor – that wants your traffic, your audience, your customers. You can keep them at bay by “rinsing and repeating”  the suggestions above- this time on Video. Video is awesome. 

Gone are the days of interrupting your target audience [Outbound Marketing] “Excuse me, I know I don’t know you – and you don’t know me BUT do you know anyone who is considering buying or selling?”. Help them find you [Inbound Marketing For Real Estate] when they have a need by creating content – blog posts, videos, pictures, ebooks, podcasts etc – they would look for when they need your product or service.

Brought to you by Affinity Title, Fort Myers, FL - Your Short Sale Expert!

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How to Determine a Location From an IP Address

14. February 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

 

 

Why would you need to know a person’s location?

 

Every Internet user is assigned an IP address that traces their steps on the Internet while they are browsing web sites. Generally, ISPs provide each user with a IP address that is either dedicated to their account or rotates as often as hourly, services such as AOL use a rotating IP address for various customer location ranges that potentially thousands of customers may be surfing with at one time.

 

 

There are many different reasons why you may need to know where a user comes from. Some web sites keep detailed records of who visits what pages, who views what for how long and who downloads something from a particular page. These statistics help determine a web site’s metrics as well as gage different factors for a web master who might be trying to figure out where to go next with ads, content or products.

 

 

For example, if a web master who sells pre-paid phone cards realizes that a particular value of cards is not selling to a certain population, perhaps, the web master will re-evaluate carrying those phone cards for another type that might do better in that area. These types of statistics can help set the tone and merit of a particular web site and cater towards a general demographic of visitors which in the long ran help keep the web site afloat.

 

 

Metrics play an important part in any web site that is seeing a lot of traffic. Everything from search engine optimization to marketing techniques can be determined by where your visitors come from and what they are browsing while they are there. This can help a web master determine the best route to go in marketing a product or service in a particular area for that specific demographic.

 

 

Other reasons for determining a person’s location can be simple or more discrete. Forum administrators and moderators may deal with problem posters on a daily basis who have been banned from their boards. Some posters feel the need to circumvent a ban, and IP addresses can determine if such a user is breaking a ban. This information can help administrators find the poster in question and report them to their ISP for the infraction should such action be necessary.

 

 

Web sites, forums and chat rooms that use date and time scripts can use a person’s location to determine the correct date and time to showcase. This information can also be helpful to determine when users are browsing from during a time of the day for metrics purposes.

 

 

Everything from e-mail to instant messages can be traced via IP with the right software. Every time you visit a web site, download a program or music file or even surf via a proxy server can be traced back to your original IP address with a little bit of detective work.

 

 

How do I go about determining a location from an IP address?

 

The easiest way to go about determining a location from an IP address it look it up in reverse. Web sites and programs can do this for you with little effort, but since most web browsers are not using a dedicated IP address assigned from their provider, more work is necessary to pinpoint their exact geographical region.

You can go to WhoIs.sc and plug in an IP address or web address and learn the details behind it. This, as illustrated, is the easiest way to go about determining where an IP address leads.

Most countries user their own country code domain, typically referred to as ccTLDs. Many countries even go so far as to list the city, region or closest metro area within the domain to track them further. A few examples of country codes include BH for Bahrain, DO for the Dominican Republic, HU for Hungary, LY for Libya and SN for Senegal.

With a little deductive reasoning, you can figure out from the canonical address where exactly in a given area a person is surfing from.

Let’s look at an example of a canonical address: dialup-4.155.253.110.Dial1.Baltimore1.Level3.net. Already, we know two facts about this particular user: First, this web browser is using dialup and hails from Baltimore. Chances are they are using a rotating IP address and hardly ever surf with the same one twice.

Another example, 70.129.13.254, when traced back via a WhoIs search reveals this resolves to Texas Womens University in Denton, Texas. If you were having a problem with this poster on a forum or web community, the WhoIs information will provide you with the necessary contact information to inform the university of problems should the need arise.

You can breakdown the IP address of any web user to find out facts about that particular address and figure out what part of the world they may come from, in the one example, down to the city and in the other down to a specific portion of the city.

 

Is it full proof?

 

Determining a web browser’s location from their IP address is by no means full proof. For most users, you can determine where they come from or who their ISP is with little problem. For more advanced Internet users, proxy servers and other tools of Internet circumvention may stop you from getting to the truth of a user’s location in the world. Users depend on proxy services and software to keep their identities hidden. Some users prefer to surf anonymously or they cannot visit specific web sites because their ISP prohibits it.

 

 

With a little bit of research and some practice, anybody can learn about their web site’s users from their IP address and use the information to their advantage. There are many resources on the Internet as well as in print that will guide you through more advanced procedures to track users and find out where in the world they come from. The more you learn, the more precise you will become at determining where an IP address leads. Taking the time to learn these techniques may just make your web site more profitable or keeping unruly chatters or posters at bay.

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More Craigslist Tips & Resources

13. February 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

 

IP’s

• Check what IP address your a using online at any given time, but most importantly for craigslist marketing, it is the location of the IP that is the most significant. Make your initial posts in the wrong city and you account will be flagged and you will never post a live ad to that account PERIOD. Once you account, IP, headline, content has been flagged…never try and use it again. Once flagged by the craigslist programs these resources are obsolete.

• http://www.ip-adress.com/

URL Shorteners

 

• There are plenty online for you to choose from. Simply google the term. Don’t bother trying to use the ones that are known for being popular with internet marketers, like, viralurl, tinyurl, yatu etc…

   

• Try this one to get you started. Scroll down midway on the screen and you will see a list of “services not reviewed” - these links will take you to external URL shorteners that are less common with online marketers (well maybe until now - the flip side of sharing all your secrets!)

• http://notlong.com/links/

 

 

Buying Domain Names

 

For as little as a couple of dollar’s you can purchase a domain name. (consider the cheapest options first) Set your domain up so that it frame redirects to another destination (your website or lead capture page for example). If you choose a unique name that has never been registered before this is better, cause then you know it isn’t blacklisted on craigslist yet. This domain will do for craigslist posting for a while until it gets picked up by the bots. It doesn’t matter what name you choose, but I wouldn’t use words like ‘make money’ ‘internet marketing’ ….

Linking To Other Ads

 

Take the url for an ad you have posted on another website and use that url for your craigslist marketing. Sending people to a video link is another option.

How To Have Your URL Temporarly Whitelisted

 

So by now you understand a little more about how craigslist works and what types of things will get your ads ghosted.

Great! Let’s work the system and use craigslists rules to our advantage.

How? Here is one of my best tips, but it requires a little more investment on your part. If you are already considering purchasing software, auto IP changing cards etc you can digg a little deeper and give your ads a better chance of sticking by adopting this trick.

• Pay for a ad in one of the cities where craigslist is charging per post. Then you have a URL that is listed as safe on the craigslist system at least for the period that your payment covers. The prices vary from city to city so check around and find the cheapest city.

 

 

 

• Using this domain, create multiple sub-domains to use for your bulk posting submissions. Too easy : )

   

• Just be sure to check that your domain service provider allows unlimited sub-domains at no extra charge to you. If yours doesn’t, simple, find one that does and use their service instead.

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How To Get Most Out Of Your Craigslist Ads

13. February 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

 

 

This tip can be obvious if you know about checking for site trends and traffic hits, but don’t know anything about this, then pay attention. This technique and following links for research can be applied to any free classified ad posting you choose to do online. Plus you may also find a use for these in other elements of your business promotions.

I highly recommend doing locality research before you begin posting. We have already established that craigslist has alot of traffic and readers, but which cities are the most popular? Where do people go when they visit craigslist.org?

If you visit alexa.com and find the traffic details for craigslist there is a ton of useful information.

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/craigslist.com

When you scroll to the bottom of the page there is a heading…

Where people go on Craigslist.org

Listed in traffic volume you will find an up-to date summary of the most visited cities. It stands to reason that if you try and focus on these cities you are bound to get more visitors.

 

http://www.google.com/trends?q=Craigslist.org

To apply the above to other websites, simply substitute the extension =Craigslist.org for you desired website. eg =hubpages.com

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Using Image Ads & BlogSpot Redirects On Craigslist

13. February 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

 

Using image ads and BlogSpot redirects are another great option when it comes to getting your ads to stick on craigslist.

 

 

How To Create An Image Ad On Craigslist

 

1. Post an image ad that is clickable (people can just click the image and go to your site…

 

<a href=”http://yatuc.com/cgl-v7UC5q7n” rel=”nofollow”><img

 

src=”http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn147/photosoloutions/freead.jpg”

border=”0″></a>

- Make sure you replace my info with yours

 

2. Posting a regular image ad…cannot be clicked

 

<img

 

src=”http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn147/photosoloutions/freead.jpg” border=”0″></a>

 

How To Create A Blogspot Redirect On Craigslist

 

1. Go to http://www.blogspot.com

2. Create a new acct…

3. Create a post on your blog with this code:

<META HTTP-EQUIV=”refresh” content=”0;URL=http://www.putyourwebsitehere.com”>

Make sure you create 2 different posts with this same code.

At the end of your blogspot url, you can put random letters and numbers…

Ex) http://enteryourblogspotnamehere.blogspot.com/?PKxP4NLA

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Craigslist Codes

13. February 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

 

Following is a suggestion for html coding when posting your craigslist ad….

….<p style=”COLOR: #f5fff0″> enter the text that you want to be hidden here </font>

<font color=”lightgoldenrodyellow”> enter visable ad text here </font>

<font color=”honeydew”> enter visable ad text here </font>….

 

Remember that craigslist changes it’s cookies and spam filtering rhythyms faster than I change my hair color, so what will work for you one day may not work the next.

 

The Real Secret To Mastering Successful Craigstlist Codes

 

Spend time viewing ads similar to yours that are active on craigslist. If the ad is sticking then you know that the current cookies and monitoring systems on craigslist have allowed that ad to remain active. You want to do the same with your ads. Learn from what successful ad posters are currently doing. This is KEY to your craigslist success and at the very least will save you time in the long run.

How To See The Codes For Active Craigslist Ads

Step 1

Click on the required ad and open it.

Step 2

Instructions for Firefox Browser

Select the menu option “view”

 

Scroll down to “page source” and click that option

 

A seperate window will open up showing you the HTML coding for that entire page.

 

Instructions for IE

Select the menu option “view”

 

Scroll down to “source” and click that option

 

A seperate window will open up showing you the HTML coding for that entire page.

 

If you are using another browser program the steps will be fairly similar, and there were just too many options to list in this ‘how to post on craigslist hubpage’!

Obviously this option is only good for those who know how to read HTML. You need not be an expert at coding, so if you understand the basics - hyperlinks. image insert hyperlinks etc, you should be able to give this a go.

 

Watch for Redirections

 

When you first click on the required ad on craigslist, pay attention to the redirections occuring as the posted url is loaded. You will be able to see these at the botton of your Firefox Browser window. Where the term ‘done’ is displayed when a page is loaded, so does it show you where you are being moved amongst. These redirections will give you insight into the type of cloaking programs, url shorteners, domains, and subdomain types being successfully used on craigslist.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARKETING ON CRAIGSLIST

13. February 2012 by Kristian Alekov.

 

If you intend to use craigslist to promote your business, be warned, it is NOT easy to post your ads on this highly traffic-ed website.

 

Using craigslist as an online marketing strategy can be very profitable, and as it is free to post ads on craigslist, it is also a very attractive one.

Why Should You Market On Craigslist?

 

Right about now, your probably thinking…

“why is this supposed to be so hard?

It’s just a free classified advertising site”…..

Well here is where it gets tricky for the online marketer to

master posting ads on craigslist!

 

The Problem With Craigslist Marketing

 

Craigslist hates Internet marketers and does everything it can to KEEP YOU OUT. Well that might sound a little harsh, but it is true.

Craigslists creator started the site as a hobby and a service with the intention of providing free locality specific classified advertising.

The operation of craigslist includes a team of professional programmers who work on creating cookies, filters and ghosting protocol. This protocol is being constantly updated and enhanced to make it harder and harder for the online marketer to post on craigslist. This is the problem with marketing on cragislist.

 I am not knocking it. Craig has every right to run his site exactly how he see’s fit. This is a perfectly legal procedure and part of the terms of service. Plus, they do a heck of a good job at keeping the ’spammers’ at bay.

Craigslist still runs today as a .org domain name, so it is considered a not for profit site, but if you can manage to get your ads to stay on craigslist, then it will definitely be to your business profits.

 

What You Need To Know Before You Use Craigslist

 

• Even though craigslist is a free classified advertising site you will need to invest time and or money into your marketing campaign to see any results.

• As the ghosting programs are being constantly updated, so to does your craigslist advertising routine. Be prepared for this.

• The steps outlined for you in this hubpage are as accurate and detailed as possible. You may need to use a mix of the techniques and tips as explained below in order to stop your ads from ghosting.

How To Post On Craigslist

 

1. The first thing to do in the, how to post on craigslist action steps, is to consider how many phone numbers you have access to. The current account creation process requires a valid phone number to be entered. Once you work through the sign up process you will receive a phone call or text message with a validation code.
2. If you have access to 10 different phone numbers than you will need to set up 10 different emails. Go to http://www.gmail.com and setting up your free 10 email accounts here. Do not use any other free email accounts other than gmail. Once have 10 different email account that you use everyday to post from. You are essentially set up for 10 days or 2 weeks.
3. Once you have set up your email accounts, go to Craigslist and create 10 accounts with Craigslist. Go to http://www.craigslist.org/. Click on my account on the left hand side. You will see a place where you can log in. Underneath that, it says don’t have an account - Click on that. Follow the instructions. Once you get to a certain point, it will ask you to put a phone number in. Once you put that phone number in, you will receive either a phone call or text with the code you will need to enter into Craigslist in order to have a valid Craigslist account
4. Fourth, you need to set up your ads. Never post the exact same ad twice - this includes your headline. Duplicate posts are NOT permitted on Craigslist. Try writing 10 ads and then sit down and try and get 10 different variations out of your original ads. This gets you 100 different ads! A common variation on the headline is to place a bunch of letters and numbers at the end. For example if your headline reads “Best Beef Jerky” alter it like so, “Best Beef Jerky________7r4f6FDe” & “Best Beef Jerky________Hw84HpF8″

 

 

Now here are some ideas if you don’t have access to a lot of phone numbers:

1. Use your work number.

2. Use your home number

3. Use your cell number

4. Use your significant other’s cell number

5. Use your significant other’s work number

6. Go to a payphone that accepts incoming calls and use that phone number.

You may need someone at your computer to put the number in but then you can stand there and wait for the phone to ring and get the phone number.

7. Ask a few close friends if you can use their number.

8. Partner up with someone in your industry and brainstorm other idea’s. Perhaps one is willing go to a local train station of somewhere there’s a heap of public phones, while the other does the online work. This might sound like a ‘desperate’ step, however it could turn out to be a very profitable partnership. Use your network and close business contacts.

Repeat the process 10 times. Remember, you will need to go to each email account that you have set up and click on the link that Craigslist sends to each email account to activate each individual Craigslist account.

 

 

How Many Ads Can I Post On Craigslist?

 

This is a topic for debate, but unless you are using auto posting software and are changing your IP address regularly (perhaphs every 3-5 ads) you should only post 3 ads every 48 hrs from one Craigslist account.

If you post 3 ads on the same day from the same Craigslist account, your last 2 ads will get ghosted.

Clearing Your Internet History, Cookies & Temporary Passwords

 

When you active or log into your Craigslist account the site places cookies on your computer. Now, if you don’t know much about cookies, they basically read, record and track data while you are browsing. Cookies are used commonly online and are a natural part of online technology - there is no need to fear. Cookies are not like a virus so will not do damage to your computer.

So why information on cookies? Well all you need to know with regards to cookies and posting on Craigslist is that you must clear them after finishing with each account. You should also clear your browsing history, temp passwords and temp internet files.

Each operating system will be slightly different, so use these this as a guide. Open you computer’s control panel. Go to network & internet. Internet options, then delete browsing history. Within that menu option you can select to delete your history and you want to check the box and clear all.

Sometimes the browser you are using is not the default for your computer. If this is the case try the following steps;

 

Instructions For Firefox

Menu option - tools, then clear private data (again you need to check all the box’s to clear them all.

Instructions For IE

Menu option - tools, then internet options (clear everything!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Get Your Ads To Stay On Craigslist

 

The common term used to describe the automatic removal of craigslist ads is, “ghosting.”

 

If you have attempted to place an ad and are not able to see it visible on the live site, then you have had a visit from the green ghost.

Ghosted means that Craigslist will act like your ads are posted but when you go to look for them, they do not show up.

Stopping Your Craigslist Ads From Ghosting

Test, test and then TEST again. Post 3 ads in 3 different cities then stop. I takes anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes for you ads to go live. If you go to the specific city and category and can see you ad live on the site, then you know what you did worked & you can run with that for a while.

If your ads are not visible, you simply start the process again.

How To Test for Specific Flagging Aspects

 

If you think it may be your link that is causing the problem, post an ad with a different link and see if it goes live. Perhaps try an image ad instead or test running your ad without the link at all.

Craigslist Marketing Options

 

Time Poor

If you don’t have much time to invest in your craigslist marketing then there are options. Some companies will manage your craigslist marketing for you and then there is also the option of a craigslist co-op.

Cash Poor

Do it all yourself, but be forewarned, it is going to take you a fair bit of time to get it right and maintain any level of consistency. At the very least you will need to invest in something that will hide your real IP address so your real IP doesn’t get banned while you are working this out.

Time & Cash Poor

Perhaps craigslist should be left until you have some time and money to get your campaign off the ground. Whilst it is free to place ads on the site you will need to invest some money to see any real results.

Are you really going to give up that easily? No way!

Just post one ad every 3 days using your real IP address. You may end up having your IP address banned from craigslist. So in the long run you will need to work on this issue. Here is a hubpage on this topic that you may find usefull.

For my first attempt with craigslist I posted manually for three days using software to hide my real IP. I didn’t use an auto-poster I only managed to get three ads to stick for the entire time. Those ads produced over 100 hits to my website in the few days there were live. So let’s just say that mastering craigslist is a step learning curve that never stops.

Craigslist is frustrating! That’s exactly what Craig wants so deal with it.

 

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