Ask people if they would e-mail a picture with their testimonial. If they don’t have one scanned you could have them send their picture by mail and you could scan it. This technique will give your testimonials more credibility.

2. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES:  

Most online testimonials you see have text signatures. You could have people mail their written signature, scan it, and upload it with their testimonial. People will feel the testimonial is more official.

3. ONLINE AUDIO:

You could record people’s testimonials with a mini tape recorder over the phone, on your answering machine, or voice mail. Then you could convert the recording into a online audio file and upload it to your web site. You can find more information about converting audio recording’s by typing “real audio” at a search engine.

4. POSTCARDS:

Have people mail you their testimonial on a postcard, scan it and upload it to your web site. This will give people proof that the testimonial isn’t fake because it will have a post mark on it.

5. PROFILES:

Ask people to include a profile of themselves with their testimonial. You could just have them answer some questions like age, occupation, hobbies, favorite quote, etc. This will make your testimonials more entertaining to read.

6. HAND WRITTEN LETTERS:

This is similar to the “electronic signature” tip. Scan and upload the entire written testimonial or letter to your web site. This will give your testimonials a feel of realism.

7. RECORDINGS:

You could record peoples testimonials over the phone with a mini tape recorder. Then, take the recording and record it to an answering machine or voice mail system. Under each one, include a phone number they can call to hear the actual testimonial.

8. E-MAIL MESSAGES:

When you get e-mail testimonials, publish the entire e-mail message instead of just the contents. It will be more believable because it will include the date, time, subject, who it’s from and who it’s to.

9. CONTACT INFORMATION:

When you get testimonials from people, ask them if you could include their contact information under the testimonial. This will allow potential customers to ask your current customers questions about your product or service before they buy. Usually, they will trust them more than you.

10. ONLINE VIDEO:

If some of the people who give you testimonials have a camcorder, ask them to record their testimonial on video and send it to you. Then you could convert the video to an online video file and upload it to your site. You can find more information about converting audio recording’s by typing “real video” at a search engine.

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-32592/freesetup.html

About Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy:

————————————————————

I Was A Washed Up Restaurant Worker Desperately Searching For A Way To Save My Family When I Discovered The Internet And Affiliate Marketing… 24 Months Later I Finally Cracked The Code And Started Earning Over $10,000.00 Per Month… Now The Same System That Saved Me Is Available To You! Check It Out: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-32592/freesetup.html

By Bernice Ross
Inman News™

If you’re not promoting your listings using video, you’re missing a huge opportunity to differentiate yourself from the competition, provide a higher level of service to your clients, and reach the hot Gen X and Gen Y markets.

According to NAR, only 1 percent of all agents used video in their businesses in 2010. This year, the number is 8 percent. If you want to edge out your 92 percent of your competition, creating fun and engaging videos is a great way to do it. Below are nine simple tips that can help you to shoot great videos for your business.

1. Perfect quality not required
If you were shooting a video five years ago, most people expected commercial quality. With the advent of YouTube, this is no longer the case. YouTube has made amateur videos shot with a cell phone or a Flip camera acceptable. While there are definitely times when you will want to use a professional videographer (e.g., when you have an expensive listing or are shooting a video about the area that is expected to have a long shelf life), shooting your own videos can be a great way to attract more business.

The key point to keep in mind is that people today expect your video to inform, entertain or to provide value for the time they spent watching it.

2. Play and learn
Perhaps the most challenging question is where to begin and how much to spend. If you own a smartphone or a computer with a built-in video cam, these are great tools to begin your learning process. In most cases, all you have to do is point and click and you’re shooting video. Rather than worrying about being perfect, look at it as an opportunity to play and learn.

3. Length
In terms of the length, 60-90 seconds is optimal. The research from YouTube shows that their users are much more likely to open a short video that is under 90 seconds in length. Videos that are two minutes or longer have significantly lower open rates. While people are willing to commit to a minute or so to watch a video, most won’t even open the video if it’s more than a couple of minutes long.

4. Purchase a tripod
To make sure that your video isn’t too shaky, purchase a tripod. My personal favorite is one that looks like a three-legged octopus that allows you to mount your video camera on a variety of surfaces.

5. Wear a microphone for better sound quality
To provide the best visuals and the best sound quality possible, it’s smart to shoot closer in to your subjects rather than too far away. While the sound quality on your camera or phone may be acceptable, it will be significantly better if you use a second microphone when you record.

While people tend to be forgiving of the visual quality being less than perfect, the sound quality must be good for two reasons. First, your viewers will go elsewhere if they can’t understand the sound track. Second, Google now has technology that converts audio into searchable text. If the sound is not clear, you may fail to generate the search engine optimization (SEO) benefits that video can provide.

6. Visuals do matter
Whenever you shoot a video, you must constantly be aware of light sources. While the natural sunlight may look wonderful to the naked eye, it can create washed-out areas on your video. If you’re shooting a video outside, overcast skies are often better because the light is more even. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about shooting into the sun or how harsh shadows may obscure the picture.

7. Check the background
It’s also important to pay attention to the background where you’re shooting. For example, we recently shot a video of a live role-play during one of my speaking engagements. Because of the room setup, the only place we could conduct the role-play was in front of the projector screen. The woman that I role-played with has blond hair just like me.

The result was our blond hair completely disappeared into the white background. While the result looked pretty funny, it was a great reminder to always check the background. Additional guidelines include avoiding sparkly jewelry or fabrics. These items may cause strange light reflections on the video.

8. Where are the windows?
When you’re shooting indoors, windows (even when they are covered) can cause major issues. For example, you may have the Roman shades closed in a room, yet the direct sunlight shines through the sides of the windows. Again, small rays of direct sunlight can wash out part of your video. The challenge is that you won’t notice the issue until you play the video back.

9. Green-screen challenges
Many professional videographers use what is known as a “green screen.” This technology allows the videographer/editor to add almost any type of background. If you’re in front of the camera and are using a green screen, avoid wearing red. The camera will read it as green. The result is anything that is green or red disappears on camera.

Also avoid wearing patterns. The checks on your shirt or jacket can create clownish-looking results. As a rule of thumb, solid dark colors or jewel colors (with the exception of red or green), usually work best.

Most of these issues can be avoided simply by shooting a short sample video to check for light, sound and other issues. This allows you to spot the problems and to correct them before they ruin your work.

Need more help with creating videos for your business? If so, see Part 2.

Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author of the National Association of REALTORS®’ No. 1 best-seller, “Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success.” Hear Bernice’s five-minute daily real estate show, just named “new and notable” by iTunes, atwww.RealEstateCoachRadio.com. You can contact her at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com or @BRoss on Twitter.

“In 2010, the REALTORS who spend more on their websites get the majority of the web business.
We at theRealSource.com say: Don’t spend more, simply “Spend Better”. RealSource gets you a better online presence for less money. Earn more commissions, and spend less doing it – win-win for YOU!”

“The REALTORS that are the most successful on the web spend over $1500 per year maintaining their websites!
The RealSource marketing system costs over 52% less than the average online marketing solution – and has 3 times the power (Agent Sites, Agent IDX & Agent Marketing)!”

What would real estate do without the Internet?

If I had asked that question a few years ago, the reply would have been, “Inter-what?” But these days, the real estate agent who hasn’t latched onto the possibilities offered by the World Wide Web is rare.

A recent survey commissioned by Prudential Fox & Roach supports the overwhelming importance of the Internet -to home buyers especially.

Results of the survey, conducted by the Reed Organization and based on 284 responses to questionnaires emailed to several thousand Philadelphia-area buyers and sellers, show that the Internet plays an oversized role.

That starts with choosing an agent, according to the survey results.

Among the 43 per cent of buyers who reported using Internet resources for agent selection, the most important resources were the website of the real estate firm the agent represented, a real estate website such as MLS.ca, and a search engine such as Google.

Thirty-five per cent said they used recommendations found on social-media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Twitter.

Nearly 42 per cent said they first saw the house they eventually purchased online.

Only 14 per cent of home sellers mentioned an Internet search as the resource used to begin selling a home.

Among the 40 per cent of sellers using the Internet in selecting an agent, the three most popular resources were broker’s websites, a real estate website, and an Internet search engine.

Almost two-thirds of home buyers said they used other resources, beyond their agents, to identify potential homes, with five of the top six resources being on the Internet, including a real estate website (63 per cent), the website of the agent’s real estate firm (54 per cent), and a search engine (39 per cent).

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/real+estate+Internet/4717369/story.html

RISMEDIA, April 29, 2011—I find that many of my clients avoid marketing when it comes to their sphere of influence. Yet statistics show that your sphere of influence can be the greatest source of referrals. Let’s look at how you can dig in and get the “gold.”

Tip 1: Define and Grade Your Sphere of Influence

When is the last time that you took a good look at your contact list? What is the total? What are the categories in that group? Do you have past clients, friends, acquaintances, people you hardly know? Before you do anything else go into your data base and group your sphere of influence in categories.

Do you know who in your sphere is likely to refer to you? Do you know who in your sphere already works with another agent? How many have moved away? Start deleting the inappropriate ones.

Be sure to ask all of them this question at some point: “If you were buying or selling a home, do you have a real estate agent that could help you?” If they say “yes,” delete them. There is no point in continuing, they are not prospects. By keeping in touch with your sphere of influence as outlined below, you’ll begin to find out who is an A,B, C, or D.

A= someone likely to refer to you
B= someone who, with a little more contact with you, would refer to you
C=Questionable
D= Delete

Tip 2: Send an Something to Your Sphere Each Month

In my 14+ years of coaching real estate agents to double their incomes, I am amazed at the fact that sometimes their list never gets a mailing. Or sometimes the mailing is not well thought out. I worked with a client recently who admitted that the material she was sending to her sphere was standard and boring. We brainstormed about items of interest or value that would be fun and unique. So far, she has come up with recipes and inspirational quotes. What do you send to your sphere of influence? Is it something you would want to receive and find valuable? If so, then I guarantee that your sphere will like it too. How many creative items can you come up with?

Tip 3: Overcome Your Blocks about Calling Your Sphere

Everyone I have ever worked with resists calling their sphere.

Excuses include:
• I don’t want them to think I want something from them
• I’m afraid they won’t like me
• I don’t want to be like a telemarketer

The list goes on, but I think you get the idea. What you need to understand is that you’re a giver. When givers give to other givers, they get back. So, in other words, if you send an item of value, you are giving; when you chat with them and listen to what’s going on in their lives, you’re giving again. So at the end of the call, say something like, “If you hear of anyone even whispering about buying or selling a home, please give me a call with their name and number.” Then say, “I’ll be happy to send referrals to your business, as well.” Guess what? You’re giving again.

After doing these calls monthly (after mailing of items), you’ll begin to know your sphere of influence and they’ll know you. You’ll begin to learn which ones are you’re As, Bs, Cs and which ones to delete. Then you will be in their stream of consciousness, so you’re the first one that will pop up in their mind when they think of real estate. Don’t be surprised if you get referrals in the first few weeks.

Tip 4: Be in the Right Mindset

Don’t make these calls if you’re feeling anxious, upset or desperate. Remember, desperation doesn’t sell. So psych yourself up in the right mindset. Think of your self as a giver and how happy they are going to be to hear from you. Tip: if you have been thinking negatively, switch your focus to what you are grateful for. That usually puts you in a much better mood to pick up the phone.

Tip 5: Make it a Daily Ritual

Just like brushing your teeth, calling some people out of your sphere of influence is essential. Even one a day is OK. Call several times a day if you want your income to rise quickly.

Decide when to make your calls and keep at it until you’ve reached the people you were trying to call. Expect that after several weeks of doing this; it will feel a lot easier. An extra perk is that you’re going to be deepening some great relationships and you’ll derive the same pleasure from calling them us as you would with a good friend.

Dr. Maya Bailey, Multiple 6 Figure Income Business Coach for Real Estate Professionals, integrates her 20 years of experience as a psychologist with 14 years of expertise in marketing. Her powerful transformational work creates a Success Formula for Real Estate Professionals ready to create a Multiple 6 Figure Income. To get your free report: “7 Simple Strategies to More Clients in 90 Days” and to apply for an Initial Complimentary Consultation, go to www.90daystomoreclients.com.

By Bernice Ross

Are you using Craigslist as a part of your lead generation and conversion system? If not, there’s no better time to start than now.

Recently, I hosted a webinar with Josh Schoenly of ReTechulous.com. Schoenly also manages a real estate brokerage office in Mechanicsville, Pa., and is a self-proclaimed “lead generation junkie.” One of the best lead generation tools for his business is Craigslist.

Many agents use Craigslist, yet very few systematically generate and convert leads from this highly visited site. Schoenly says most agents fail in this attempt because they don’t understand the dynamics of online lead generation. Also, they don’t know how to make their ads stand out from the competition.

If you want to generate more leads from working with Craigslist, the first step is to avoid these five most common mistakes:

1. Posting at the wrong time of day
Have you ever given any thought to the best time of day to post on Craigslist? Schoenly cites research that shows people visit Craigslist in the morning between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., just before they begin work. They also visit Craigslist around lunchtime.

Nighttime visits to Craigslist peak at different times depending upon the season. In the wintertime, it’s usually after dinner, from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In the summertime, it’s more likely to be later, usually between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Rather than flooding Craigslist with a lot of ads, Schoenly recommends posting one or two strategic ads at the peak times of day.

2. Writing boring headlines and boring ads
A major challenge on Craigslist is how to make your ad stand out. In order to “cut through the clutter,” Schoenly recommends making your ads intriguing.

For example, most agents write ads like this: “123 Lakeview Terrace $605,000: 4 bedroom, 3 bath, with breathtaking lake view. Updated kitchen with granite countertops, new appliances, two offices, master suite with double walk-in closets.”

The ad above is completely feature based. To have more people click to view your ads, write an ad with an attention-grabbing headline and intriguing text. Here’s an example that cuts through the clutter to capture the reader’s attention: “$206,900. LAKE it? You’ll LOVE it! (Can you believe the price on this gem?) Click here to see other JUICY deals like this one in the Houston area. INCLUDES FORECLOSURES.”

3. No call to action
The boring ad in the example above also has another major mistake. There is no call to action.

In contrast, the “LAKE it” ad has a clear call to action for the reader to “see other JUICY deals.” Everyone wants a great deal. This ad taps into that emotion, especially because the list includes foreclosure properties.

4. No lead capture trap
There is little point in spending money on Web advertising unless you have a lead capture strategy. A major mistake most advertisers make is driving consumers to a branded website. A branded website is your primary website that has all of your normal listing information and other resources.

What works best is a simple unbranded website devoted exclusively to the property you are marketing. (Please note you must still follow your state, local and MLS rules in terms of what you post on these sites regarding the fact that you are an agent.)

Schoenly’s unbranded website normally converts 15 percent to 35 percent of the people who visit it into actual leads. This type of page is often called a “squeeze page.” In contrast, when he used a branded website, the conversion rate was only a pitiful 1 percent.

Here’s what Schoenly uses for one of his most effective squeeze pages: The headline, “Free weekly list of foreclosure and bank-owned properties.”

Beneath the headline is a picture of a house with a foreclosure sign in front of it. Next to the picture, there is a bright green arrow pointing to the box where the reader can enter their email address. Directly below there is another box that states, “Phone number: We’ll Call You and Tell You about the Hot Buys We Know about Right Now.” The final box says, “Get the Weekly List and See Local Foreclosures Now.”

For this to work in your business, you must be willing to compile and maintain an up-to-date foreclosure list. You must also be willing to respond quickly with a return phone call when someone decides to use the telephone option. Finally, you will also need an “autoresponder” system that automatically sends out the list to anyone who clicks on the link.

5. No consistency
The biggest mistake that agents make when using Craigslist is a lack of consistency. Schoenly suggests setting up a recurring appointment with yourself so that you always remember to do your posts three times per day.

Avoid being “flagged”

Craigslist and its community are very vigilant about ads that don’t meet the site’s criteria. Triggers that can cause your ads to be “flagged” (i.e., that will cause your ads to be removed), include being overly “sales-y,” overhyping, using all caps, posting ads in the wrong categories or posting the same ads multiple times in a short period of time, and using the word “free.”

You can be flagged if two or more people report your ads. It could be market competitors seek to remove your ads from the site. If this does happen, Schoenly’s recommendation is to post your ads at night. Most ad “snipers” hang out at the office during the day, and that’s when they’re most likely to be online.

Consequently, to succeed on Craigslist, post at the busiest times of days, write intriguing headlines and ad copy, include a call to action, use a lead capture or squeeze page, and be consistent. These five simple steps work for Schoenly and they can work for you as well.

Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author of the National Association of REALTORS®’ No. 1 best-seller, “Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success.” Hear Bernice’s five-minute daily real estate show, just named “new and notable” by iTunes, at www.RealEstateCoachRadio.com. You can contact her at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com or @BRoss on Twitter.

Commentary by Verl Workman

RISMEDIA, April 22, 2011—Ever since I began my career in real estate, I was told that creating high touches with my database or my sphere of influence was one of the most valuable things I could do to build a great referral business. I remember really struggling with whether to send out fridge magnets, an annual calendar or some great recipe cards, and even spent a ton of time trying to find a company that created the most professional mailers. These interactions were designed to keep me and my brand at the front of the consumer’s mind so that when they thought about real estate, they thought of me first. I can honestly say it worked.

While those types of touches have value and many agents still use that method of marketing, we have found that today’s buyers and sellers are looking for a much more valuable interaction from their agents and brokers. The world has moved on to the Internet to find recipes; they view multiple calendars on computers and smartphones; and have access to so much information that the real value of “personality”-type marketing has been diminished.

Today, the consumer has moved on to new media, such as e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and blogs. They look online for answers to questions and are more likely to go to Recipes.com than to a postcard that was once mailed by their agent. The challenge is to find the right content and provide information—not just be white noise in this information-overloaded environment. The most effective communication to your SOI is proving to be information that is less about us and why we are so great and more about the client, their home and their community.

It is not difficult to come up with good valuable content if you take off your REALTOR® hat and put on your homeowner hat. What information would you really like to know? For starters, everyone wants to know the value of their home—having a place where people can find what homes are selling for on a regular basis is a valuable touch.

Other information that is valuable includes anything that is going on in their community that might affect home values or provide entertainment. Changes to zoning, new communities being built, great restaurants and even helpful homeowner tips are great topics for your communication.

Many agents use the expertise of their partners—such as lenders—to provide mortgage options and describe new programs, inspectors giving tips on what to look for before you purchase, contractors, exterminators and even interior designers—all for the purpose of providing valuable content to their relationships. The media and delivery methods have changed; we can reach more people and spend a lot less money. The importance of valuable content has increased but the principles are the same. The more we reach out to our relationships with great content, the more likely we will remain at the front of the consumer’s mind, and the bottom line result is more valuable. The more frequent our touches, the deeper and stronger our relationships will grow.

A founding partner of Pinnacle Quest Consulting, Verl Workman has been educating, motivating and training sales associates, entrepreneurs, and real estate agents worldwide for more than 20 years. For more information, please visit www.VerlWorkman.com.

Have you heard about RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network® (RREIN)? RREIN is an elite network of leading real estate companies dedicated to providing consumers and their agents with leading real estate information, and committed to the belief that Information Share Equals Market Share. Having only launched this past June 2010, the RREIN network is already comprised of 40 leading brokerages, which make up 575 offices, 30,000 agents, 167,000 closings and represents over $41 billion in transactions. How can RREIN help your recruiting efforts and differentiate your company today? For more information, email rrein@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2011 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

By Teresa Boardman

Agents are interested in blogging for business; they continue to ask questions about how to get a blog started and how to keep it going.

This isn’t a new idea but it is an idea that keeps evolving, and there is still very little competition among agents for local real estate blogs. Starting a blog keeps getting easier, but for most people keeping it going remains the biggest challenge.

Business blogs are powerful marketing pieces and there is still little competition for local real estate blogs, especially blogs that are written for consumers instead of for real estate agents. Go one step further and include information about housing and there is no competition in most markets.

Consumers search the Internet for information that goes beyond what is in the multiple listing service, and static websites are just plain boring — even if they do have the agent’s face plastered all over them.

Homebuyers want to know what it is like to live in your town, and what the housing market is like, and where the amenities are and if the neighborhood is walkable, and maybe where to buy a cup of coffee or find some good pizza.

They also want to work with an agent who can be trusted and who is friendly (but not the creepy kind of friendly) and that knows the area.

Last week I attended a continuing education class and the speaker mentioned blogging and recommended a keyword-stuffing scheme that doesn’t work. Business blogging isn’t about using keywords over and over. It is about supplying useful information and showing expertise.

For the last couple of years the emphasis has been on self-hosted WordPress blogs, but there are other options that are free and easier to start and to maintain.

There are agents who invest a significant amount of time in WordPress testing plug-ins and tweaking their blog design instead of writing blog posts or selling real estate.

The popular free blogging platforms can be run off of any domain name, and it is important for businesses to own and control their own domain names. It is fairly easy to import a blog into WordPress and self-host it if that becomes desirable at some point.

No traffic is lost, and if it is done right the regular blog readers will not notice the change, and neither will Google. I don’t think it is wise to use any of the free platforms for a business blog without owning the domain name.

The easiest way to start a blog today is to use Posterous, Blogger or WordPress.com — and all are free. Blogger is a free platform from Google. It is the No. 1 most used blogging platform on the planet.

The Google search engine loves it and they just keep making Blogger better. It is highly customizable and very easy to use. I have used blogger for four years now and all of my posts were created with a BlackBerry.

All three platforms have smartphone apps that can be used to write a post, and add a photo and update the blogs. The apps can also be used to store blog posts and approve comments. The WordPress app even works on a BlackBerry.

Posterous has become very popular, and I have a Posterous blog, too. The beauty of Posterous is that it can be used to update other social media accounts and it works well as a mobile blog. I can update my Posterous blog and have it automatically update Facebook and Twitter at the same time.

A new agent or a new blogger could buy a domain name, use it with a Posterous blog, post to it by smartphone, or email and use it to update a Twitter account and a Facebook page.

A self-hosted WordPress blog can do all of that, too, but it takes expertise to install all of those plug-ins and keep them updated. Those functions are built right into the Posterous blog, and it is ready to go.

It should be noted that free blogs can be backed up. I would highly recommend that blogs on any platform be backed up at least once a week. I have heard grown men and women cry after losing hundreds of blog posts because a site got deleted or because something else went wrong.

The easiest way to create blog posts is while you’re on the go — they can easily be created with a smartphone. It doesn’t take much time or effort.

Here are some simple ideas:

• Snap a picture of a street sign and write a few words about the neighborhood.
• Write one or two posts a month that have local housing market statistics.
• Make sure your contact information is easy to find on the blog and that anyone reading it can tell which areas you work in.
• There is still almost no competition in most markets for a consumer-oriented real estate blog.
• Include information about local parks, architectural styles, road closings and most anything local.
• Don’t spend hours and hours writing blog posts, but write a short one each day and include a picture.

There are several other platforms I could mention, but these are my top picks for business. Before spending money to build a blog, try one of these free platforms. That is what I did before I started my business blog five and a half years ago.

Teresa Boardman is a broker in St. Paul, Minn., and founder of the St. Paul Real Estate blog.