Pamela Cendejas
Never Worry About Broken Links Again!
Published May 17, 2012 | 
Search engines hate broken links. Your real estate website or blog will be dinged if search engine spiders come across a broken outgoing link while crawling your site. Maintaining the integrity of all links associated with your site can mean the difference between ranking high with search engines or plummeting to the murky waters at the lower rungs of the ladder. Not to fear, though. Never worry about broken links on your WordPress site again!
I’ve been a strong advocate for real estate professionals utilizing WordPress sites for their businesses for quite some time now. One reason is because you get access to some great plug-ins to really make your site rock. The Broken Link Checker plug-in is easy to install, simple to use and does exactly what it says…checks for broken outgoing links on your site. The Broken Link Checker will automatically monitor all of the pages on your site, including posts, comments and your blog roll to make sure all links used work properly. When a broken link is detected, you will receive an alert on your WordPress site’s dashboard, in the plug-in widget itself and via email. The checker even notates when photos go missing from any page or post on your site (another big “no-no” with search engines).
The Broken Link Checker gives you the option to make broken links appear differently in posts as well as stopping search engines from following any broken links found on your site. You can edit broken links from the plug-in page itself rather than having to go directly to each individual page or post where a broken link is found to manually fix each one. Configure it to fit your preferences and needs.
You don’t have to worry about broken links on your WordPress site ever again. With the Broken Link Checker plug-in on your side, your real estate website will continue to climb to the top of the search engine rankings. This is another great tool for every real estate professional to have in their arsenal. When you need help getting your site to the top, please contact Second Self Virtual Assistance. We are that second “you” everyone needs when life gets too busy.
Blog in a Box
Published May 10, 2012 | 
OK. I’m going to admit something that may sound a little odd…I like boxes. Beautifully decorated boxes with wrapping paper and bows under the Christmas tree. Decoupaged boxes holding treasured memories in the form of letters and photos. Thanks to Audrey Hepburn, I’ve often wondered what it would like to receive a little baby blue box with a white ribbon of my own (you know what I mean, ladies). Boxes just keep things organized. That being said, I’m pleased to announce my newest venture: Blog in a Box.
Blog in a Box makes creating your own real estate blog as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- We set up your URL and hosting accounts for you.
- You select your WordPress theme from the eight themes included in your site – (six of them are premium themes).
- You customize your blog with the easy-to-follow instructions we include in your package.
It really is that simple! Your URL will be subject to availability, of course. There are eight free pre-installed themes included in your set-up for you to choose from, including six premium themes. Each theme includes plug-ins for SEO, mobile-ready viewing and include site map, social media and Google Analytics plug-ins that help get your blog’s Google juices flowing. You can then begin posting your real estate knowledge right away.
Word Press blogs have become so easy to customize that they make wonderful real estate websites. Search engines love content that is constantly evolving, which is why a blog that is also your website is so smart. Every time you add a post, search engine spiders are crawling and indexing your site. This is what helps you move up in rankings. You can add marketing materials, listings, links to your IDX or company’s website and so much more. And, they are MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE than most real estate website platforms out there. Not everyone has the time or knowledge to transform their Word Press blog into a fully functioning site. So, for an additional fee, Second Self Virtual Assistance can build a bigger box for you!
Say goodbye to expensive start-up costs, monthly fees and hard to find customer service reps. A Word Press site is about as user-friendly as they come. With your own hosted site, you have access to thousands of helpful plug-ins to help attract and engage visitors to your real estate site, increasing the likelihood of transitioning them from a simple visitor to an honest-to-goodness client. Blog in a Box can set you up to create a totally awesome real estate blog or website in just a few simple steps. Consider it my own version of a white ribbon adorned baby blue box to you (for a lot less money).
Pin More Than Photos on Your Pinterest Board
Published May 4, 2012 | 
It seems that Pinterest is all the rage in online social circles lately. This online bulletin board allows you to share photos of things you find interesting online, including real estate listings, that also include a link back to the original source material. No plagiarizing allowed there! But, did you know that you can pin more than photos on your Pinterest board? It’s true!
Pinstamatic allows you to take Pinterest to the next level. While photos are great, especially when you get the added Google juice of an instant link back to the source (like your real estate website or blog, for example), now you can also pin things like a website snapshot, sticky notes, quotes, a Twitter profile, calendar dates, locations and even your favorite tracks on Spotify. This is your chance to create a marketing plaform for your business in a fun, unique way. Let’s say you have a real estate listing, open house, company event or local area you want to showcase. Add a snapshot of your site, put details on a sticky note, add the date and location of specific events and maybe include your Twitter profile, your company’s Twitter profile and/or the location’s Twitter profile (if applicable). Let people know you really have your finger on the pulse of the communities you serve without an “in-your-face” glut of advertising. Once you create an interest in the area, traffic will naturally filter to your real estate website and/or blog.
It’s easy to to instantly use Pinstamatic. You simply log in to your Pinterest account, go to Pinstamatic’s website, click on the icons at the top of the page corresponding to the task you wish to perform (Twitter profile, website snapshot, sticky note, etc) and begin. It’s absolutely free! Now you can pin more than photos on your Pinterest board. Set up your own real estate Pinterest board and begin sharing now. Please let me know how you’ve used Pinterest to create interest in your business. I’m always excited to see new and inventive ways of marketing yourself online.
Map Your Listings on Facebook
Published April 26, 2012 | 
I love finding out new ways to help my real estate clients increase their business presence on the internet. I recently attended an all-day Facebook seminar that was full of some great and quite valuable information that I’ll definitely be implementing in the promotion of my own clients’ businesses. One of the things I have found from investigating real estate business promotional opportunities through social media is this great app that allows you to publicize and map your listings on Facebook.
FaceIt Pages has made creating a customized timeline tab simple. After you have created your account, click on the “Create a New Page Tab”, add a catchy title for your page (ie “Living on the 18th Tee”, “Life’s a Beach” or “Perfect Lovers Bungalow”), choose a theme template, add your photos, tagline and links, preview it to make sure you like what you see and edit, if necessary. Make sure to choose “Map It” for one of your modules so you can add the mapping feature. On the map, you can add as many addresses and photos as you would like. Or, create a tab that highlights one specific listing and then map out the great restaurants, shopping or entertainment venues in the area. Create a neighborhood page and then add all your listings via the map feature with a link to each listing’s page on your own website. It’s really that easy!
Show off your featured real estate listings in a professional format on your Facebook timeline. Let your Facebook visitors know what areas you cover with hyperlocal content that conveniently shows off your listings. Promote a contest you or your real estate office is holding. With FaceIt Pages’ map app, it’s easy to map and promote your listings on Facebook.
No More Shoeboxes!
Published April 19, 2012 | 
I know that the 2011 tax filing season just ended, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start planning for next year. Organization is key in just about every aspect of your life. This has never been more true than when it comes to your real estate business. As a busy real estate professional, you’re always on the go. There are meetings to attend, clients to meet with, lunches to go to, open houses to prepare for. The laundry list of things a REALTOR® has to deal with seems to be never-ending. Instead of stuffing your shoeboxes with receipts for the accountant to sort out next year, put together an on-the-spot expense report directly from your cell phone with with Xpen$er.
Whether your employer pays for your expenses, you foot the bill yourself or you have a combination of both, Xpen$er creates a user-friendly, easy to submit expense report using your iPhone, Android, Blackberry, voicemail, IM, SMS, Twitter or email. With the voicemail option, your phone doesn’t even need internet capabilities to send the information to your Xpen$er account. Capture images of your receipts on your phone, attach them to the appropriate expense, set your tags and the image stays with the line item on your expense report. You can always upload the image to your Xpen$er account using your laptop or PC later. You won’t have to keep piles of receipts in those shoeboxes anymore. That’s eco-friendly AND ultra-convenient!
Xpen$er makes organizing your real estate business expenses simple and easy. Set up separate reports per client, per project, per trip or by date. Import your bank and credit card statements so you can access the information anytime. Export your report to your boss or accountant with ease. All Xpen$er reports integrate with QuickBooks, Microsoft Dyanmics, Quicken and FreshBooks. The reports are easy to follow, completely customizable and fully itemized with copies of receipts to back up the expenses, making approval of your business expenses happen much quicker. You won’t have to wait for weeks to get reimbursed from your employer anymore. Also, when you call customer support at Xpen$er, you get a real live person on the other end of the line instead of having to push buttons to get through a long automated list.
Get rid of that old shoebox full of receipts and get organized now with Xpen$er. Record your expenses as they happen. You have enough paperwork to deal with in the real estate business. Go paperless, become more efficient and let Xpen$er do the work of keeping track of your expenses today. For a limited time, they are offering a free 30 day trial. If you like it, you can continue the service for just $9 per user per month. Of course, when you need help organizing your online business, Second Self Virtual Assistance is always here for you.
Why Real Estate Pros Need LinkedIn
Published April 12, 2012 | If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a very valuable piece of internet real estate. LinkedIn is the largest network for business professionals on the internet today as well as one of the fastest-growing social networks available online. Why do real estate pros need LinkedIn as part of their business marketing arsenal? I’m glad you asked.
First, LinkedIn allows you to increase your visibility. The more you get your name out there, the more likely a potential client will find you. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is strictly for business professionals. This is where you WANT to flaunt your real estate saavy in all its glory. If you only posted status updates or tweeted about business dealings on Facebook or Twitter, you are more likely to turn folks off. People visit LinkedIn specifically to find people to connect with on a business level.
Second, get connections. LinkedIn allows you to not only post your resume, describing your strengths, experience and expertise, but your business history as well. While listing your current employer is a good idea, it’s even better to add your history with past employers. There may be a past client who only knows you from the previous real estate company you worked for. Or you’ve moved out of the area but a former colleague has a client they wish to refer to you. Providing a complete history of your work experience will allow these people to find you much more quickly and easier.
Google juice is always good for the working soul. LinkedIn profiles tend to get ranked higher on Google than others. Just make sure your real estate profile on LinkedIn is available for full view to the public and create a custom URL instead of choosing the default. To help get more juice from your profile, include a link in your signature on your blog posts, comments you make on other blog posts, your website and even your email signature (this makes it easier for people to access your profile, which helps drive traffic there).
For even more Google juice, add links to your website, blog(s) and social media accounts on your LinkedIn profile. Under your profile, there is a section that allows you to add links to up to three other websites. Instead of choosing the generic settings (ie, Personal Website, Company Website, Blog, etc), click on “Other” and type in something more personal, like “Anytown USA website”, “Living in Anytown blog” or “What I Can Do For You”.
Why do real estate pros need LinkedIn? Networking is still a major part of the real estate game. It’s just moved online now. The internet not only opens the door to an entire world of possibilities, but it virtually kicks it down with Chuck Norris enthusiasm. If you don’t hop aboard the LinkedIn train and use it to the fullest extent possible, you are going to be left in the dust by other real estate pros in your area who are already onboard. Please let me know how you use LinkedIn for your real estate business. I always love to hear from you.
Set Your Blogging to Automatic
Published April 6, 2012 | 
Last week I talked about Working Your List as a way of keeping in touch with all your real estate contacts in order to help generate business. Another crucial cog in the real estate business wheel is creating and maintaining a blog. Giving your contacts something they can really sink their teeth into will not only make you stand out from a form newsletter sent from someone else, but will also keep them interested in receiving further tidbits from you in the future, rather than hitting that ugly “unsubscribe” button.
I can hear it right now. “I am a busy REALTOR® on the go. I’ve got things to do, people to see, places to be. How do I fit regular blog postings in, Pam?” As a busy Real Estate Virtual Assistant myself, I can understand the demands business makes on you. I have a solution, though…InTouch. This amazing tool partners effective contact management with meaningful content by creating blog posts, posting links on your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and sending them out regularly in a weekly email. And it’s all done automatically.
Next Wednesday, April 11, 2012, Pat Zaby, Speaker/Trainer Extraordinaire, will be offering a free “Turn it on Automatic with InTouch” webinar from 12pm-1pm CDT. If you want to find out how to make better use of your drip marketing campaign while harnessing the power of social media and blogging in less time, I would highly recommend you reserve your seat now. Stop tearing your hair out trying to find more hours in the day. Find out how to set your blogging to automatic with Pat Zaby’s webinar next Wednesday. I hope to see you there!
Working Your List
Published March 30, 2012 | 
Contact lists are a real estate professional’s best friend. Evolving and expanding your list means money in the bank. Keeping in contact with current and past real estate clients is just as important as building a new customer base. You’ve already built a rapport by working with people currently on your contact list. As a REALTOR®, not only do you need to create a good list of contacts, but you must also work your list.
Like any good relationship, consistent communication is a necessity with business contacts. Otherwise, you will simply fall off their radar completely when it comes time for them to sell their current house and buy a new one. For example, I have a client who sold a couple their house a few years ago. The couple loved the agent and was very happy with their home. However, she didn’t understand the need to keep in contact with them. The couple went to the same church as she did. So, they saw each other socially every week. Imagine her surprise when one of these happy previous clients came up to her and said “You’ll be happy to know that we listed our house with Agent XYZ.” Her thought was, “Why would I be ‘happy’ to hear that? Why wouldn’t you use me?” Even though they saw each other every week, their clients associated her more as a fellow worshipper rather than a real estate agent and she lost out on the listing.
Whenever I speak to anyone, I ask them if they would be alright having me send them a weekly newsletter. It goes out every Tuesday and includes information I think my customer base would benefit from as well as a link to my weekly blog post. I send out a new newsletter every single week without fail. I can’t tell you how many people I have heard from who talked with me but went with another Real Estate Virtual Assistant because they promised them the moon AND the stars for a real steal of a deal just to have them come back to me later on because that “deal” really wasn’t one. The reason they come back to me? My weekly “contact” with them. My name in front of their eyes every single week.
It’s incredibly important to give your real estate contacts some bit of information that they can consider valuable. Sending them a commercial about how great you are and the services you provide won’t cut it. Most people “tune out” during TV commercials (unless it’s the Super Bowl). It’s the same with an email. Instead, give them real information they can actually use. They will begin to associate this helpful information with you, making you the first person they think of when it comes time to buy or sell their home. And with the viral impact of social media, if your contact sees this as valuable information that needs to be shared with others, they might post it on their Facebook or Twitter accounts to share with their social circle, who can in turn share or retweet it with their social circle and so on and so on. Your newsletter could reach someone via social media that you had no direct contact with…that is, until they pick up the phone and hire you.
Creating a contact list means nothing if you don’t work that list. Consistent contact in which you provide valuable information can help promote you and your brand in a subtle but meaningful way. Soon, you’ll find your phone ringing off the hook while dollar signs begin ringing in your head.
Instagram for Real Estate Pros
Published March 23, 2012 | 
You’re a busy real estate professional on the go. You’re negotiating a deal for one client, getting an open house ready for another, just received a call from your next possible client who has just moved into the area and needs a home ASAP and are on your way to meeting up with colleagues for a power lunch at a new restaurant you’ve heard nothing but raves about. What if I told you that you could squeeze marketing into all that at the same time? With Instagram, you can share photos to your Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler and other social media accounts right from your iPhone!
Instagram is a free app available through your iPhone’s App Store. You can sign up for an Instagram account directly from the app. Simply add your email address, choose a username and password and you’re good to go. Once your account has been established, you will need to add the social media accounts you wish to share your photos with. In addition to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, you can post to your Flickr, Posterous and/or Foursquare accounts. That means you can share a photo you take instantly from your phone to as many as six different social networks all with the touch of the screen. That’s a real time saver! There’s even a little bit of photo editing software included if you want to tweak your pic slightly before sharing it.
Of course, as with all social media tools, you will want to create your own sphere of influence to reach as many people as possible. That can be done either by searching and following Instagram users you find interesting, adding people from your contact list or simply contacting your Facebook and Twitter friends. It’s easy!
Right now, the Instagram app is only available on your iPhone. However, Instagram recently unveiled a prototype of its app for Android phones at SXSW in Austin. It’s set to launch soon, so keep an eye out, Android users. The next time you want to show off a new listing, invite people to an event you or your company is throwing or find the best coffee house in all the land, whip out your iPhone, click on the Instagram app, take your photo and share it with the world. Instagram is just another tool that should be included in a successful real estate professional’s arsenal.
Virtual Business Cards Get Personal
Published March 16, 2012 | 
Like just most things in life, even business cards have gotten quite “techy”. They’ve evolved from a simple piece of paper into wonderfully creative works of art. Since almost everyone nowadays has some form of computer available within reach at almost anytime of the day (whether that be a desktop, laptop, tablet or smart phone), taking the business card from paper to the virtual realm seems like a logical step.
This isn’t a new concept, of course. Virtual business cards have been around for a while. But, boy have they changed! CardFlick, one of the more popular and user-friendly of the virtual card designers, has unveiled a way to give your virtual business card a truly personal edge by allowing you to utilize photos from your Facebook Timeline, Instagram account or your own computer’s library. It’s really simple. After you have created your free account and added your profile information, go to CardFlick’s InstaCard section. From there, you can choose a design layout from one of their 30 templates, choose a personal background photo, decide on the text and accent colors, save and you’re ready to share.
CardFlick has made sharing your business card just as painless. When you are done designing your virtual business card, you can choose to send it to your contacts right away or save it for later. With their iPhone and Android apps, “flicking” your card to someone is as easy as touching the screen on your smart phone. And this is all available absolutely free to you. One down side I found was that it froze up when I tried to access the InstaCard section while using Internet Explorer. However, this was not an issue in Mozilla. So, I suggest you access your CardFlick account in the Mozilla browser.
Visit CardFlick’s website now to create your own personal virtual business card to share with your real estate clients. You are only limited by your imagination. Of course, if you ever need any help, please feel free to contact us at Second Self Virtual Assistance. That’s what we’re here for!
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