Just like the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign that’s run for years, the question of ‘Got Content?’ is everywhere. And, it’s as good for your website’s health as milk is for your body.

Website content – not just well-composed web pages, but helpful articles, blog posts, photos, videos, and more – is a must for today’s businesses, and real estate’s no exception. Content marketing isn’t just a new buzz term, fad or idea, it’s a proven, viable tactic.

There are several reasons behind using a content marketing strategy: improved search engine rankings (SER’s), evergreen content, lead generation, consumer education, brand building and reinforcement – the list goes on. Largely, it’s about being (and staying) top-of-mind with consumers. If most resources and helpful articles they read have your name on them and establish you as a knowledgeable industry professional, it increases the chance that a prospect will call you rather than a competitor.

When it comes to a content strategy, you should ask yourself:

-       Why am I creating it?

-       What’s the desired outcome?

-       How will I use it?

Creating a successful content strategy isn’t rocket science, but sticking to an editorial schedule might be challenging, especially if sitting down to write doesn’t come naturally to you.

We here at RSP have already done a lot of it for you. While we can’t create your strategy or editorial calendar for you, we’ve included content like consumer tips and helpful articles to use on your website – all you have to do is include them in your menu. You can add to this library with content items of your own or someone else’s (just make sure you give them credit). And, with ready-to-go content at your fingertips, creating and sticking to an editorial calendar will be a snap.

But don’t stop there. Make your site even more robust by adding as much detail as possible to your listings, uploading other articles or photos, and adding video to your blogs or bio. There’s really no end to the possibilities, as long as you keep the content relevant and useful. And, don’t discount using social media to share your content and interact with people, especially now that social search is being included in results.

If you need help creating content or adding a little “oomph” to your RSP website, give us a call. We can help!

Lisa-May Huby, Director of Marketing

Now that spring has finally arrived it’s time to de-clutter and get organized. The summer months are just around the corner and we all know how fast they blow by simply because it’s typically the time of year many of us enjoy the most. You don’t want to spend your time sifting through piles of junk on a sweltering hot sunny day when you could be wading in the pool with a cool pint of refreshment.

Time is of the essence if you want to make the most of the warmer weather. I have a principal rule I follow when it comes to thinning out the closet. If I haven’t worn it in the past year I try and find it a new home. I admit I can be somewhat of a pack rat, but fears of becoming a hoarder and infinite threats from my “Better Half” have forced me to depart with stuff I would’ve hung onto for decades. And, let’s face it, once you make the commitment to get rid of it you never give it a second thought anyway.

The 80’s & 90’s were great decades, but do I really want to go grunge again, unless, of course, fashion really is cyclical. Mind you, I don’t really want to be single again – especially at my age – and the kids wouldn’t be seen in public with me, so grunge is probably not a great idea.

De-cluttering other parts of the house can be equally as painful, especially when it comes to “Man’s Domain”: the garage. I mean, who knows when you might need that piece of twine or a few hundred odd sized nuts and bolts? I’m telling you, there have been times that I’ve tossed something I thought I would never use again, only to need it for a small handyman’s job around the house a week later.

Spring cleaning is a very stressful time of year for me, but in the end it always feels great to get rid of the stuff taking up precious space, and I’m all but guaranteed I won’t be single for at least another year when it’s time to do it all over again. Now to find my flippers and jump in the pool. . .oh wait, I threw them out!

If you want to de-clutter your real estate business, try using an all-in-one web solution like RealtySites PLUS™. Our members have access to an assortment of tools to help keep them organized and effortlessly on top of their game.

Whether it’s online document storage, communicating automatically with your prospects and clients, or keeping track of your stats, RealtySites PLUS™ will keep you organized and clutter-free.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Did you know…The word exercise derives from a Latin root meaning “to maintain, to keep, to ward off”?

And, did you know the term “to exercise” means to practice, put into action, train, perform, use, improve?

Biologically, it was part of survival, in the form of hunting and gathering or raising livestock and growing food. Historically, it was built into daily life, as regular hours of physical work or soldiering. What is now considered a form of exercise – walking – was originally a form of transportation.

Scientists in the UK believe they have found a chemical in the body that may explain why people feel better after doing exercise. The chemical phenylethylamine is thought to help regulate peoples’ moods, and they’ve found the chemical is not as abundant in depressed people as in happy people.
Researchers have found that, after exercise, the levels of the chemical in the body rise by around 77%. It’s thought there are other factors involved as well,  but STILL! (Source: news.bbc.co.uk)

I know you know exercise is a natural part of life, although these days we have to consciously include it in our daily routine. Recently, I have come to realize that physical activity doesn’t have to be hard. I always felt that you had to be a fanatic
and therefore I could never really maintain any fitness program. I always fell off the wagon because I couldn’t keep up with it, or I got sick of the sport/routine, or I just wanted to visit someone, or hang out with my daughter. We have a lot of responsibilities and obligations in a day, and sometimes all I want to do is chill.  But you know what? Anything is better than nothing – even just 30 minutes a day can help improve your health and generate feelings of well-being.

Fitting 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine is easy, especially if you break it into 10-minute increments. Try dancing for 10 minutes, taking the stairs wherever you are, parking your car further away (even easier now with the nice weather), or even a 10-minute stretching break at work. I bet you can find some simple exercises on the internet to do at your desk. I used to use an exercise ball as a chair when I worked from home – it forces you to sit up straight, if nothing else!

Exercise does more for you than just help you lose weight or build muscle. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins – chemicals that can help a person feel more peaceful and happy. It builds positive self-esteem, improves your confidence/mood, and gives you a more positive outlook on life.

I know that when I even do a little bit each day it makes me feel good, and helps me reduce stress. I also found out that regular exercise (even just a little!!!) can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, actually INCREASES energy, improves posture and balance (back to the exercise ball), improves circulation, strengthens your immune system, helps with heartburn and constipation, improves your love life, and helps prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, osteoporosis and cancer.

PLUS, regular physical activity reduces the risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure, lowers total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high density lipoproteins (HDL or the “good” cholesterol). And of course, it strengthens your heart, and gives you stronger muscles and bones.

Exercising is like a lot of things – it takes discipline to stick with it, but as you can see, it’s pretty easy to increase your activity level without doing a whole lot. It’s just as easy to improve your online marketing and web presence. In just a few minutes a day, whether it’s using social media, writing a blog post, or simply working on your website, you can greatly improve your search rankings and generate more leads.

Like Nike says: “JUST DO IT!”

Carolyn Bickerton, Account Manager

I may be working in the high-tech software world, but, like many of our clients, I’m not the sharpest tech knife in the drawer. In my professional life, technology has always played a major role, but thankfully I’ve been able to work with people much more talented than myself to make the magic happen.

I have to admit, I’ve not always been quick to adapt. My family and friends still tease me occasionally of the fact that when bank cards became the norm (many years ago now), I still stood in line at the bank because I liked dealing with an actual person rather than a machine.  The truth is, technology has made our lives easier, but it’s also taken the personal touch out of daily transactions with our customers and clients.

Call me a little old-fashioned, but what I enjoy the most about my job is the fact that I can build relationships and actually get to know a little bit about our clients. I think this is so crucial to business because if we know our clients personally we can better tailor our products to suit their needs.

These days, when you call a company – especially a software company – you’ll be hard pressed to actually speak to someone in person without having to jump through various automated-attendant hoops that are both frustrating and time-consuming. That’s why I’m so proud of the relationships we’ve built with our clients, and the customer service we provide. An actual person answers our phone (usually me), and as a result I get to know our clients just a little better.

RealtySites PLUS™ has improved immensely because of the dialogue we have with our amazing customers. Technology is only as good as the people that develop it, but if there’s a disconnect with the people you’re serving, it becomes obsolete in a hurry.

As our company continues to grow and improve I know we’ll continue to offer the best of both worlds: amazing technology and good, old-fashioned personal service.

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

In my last blog post I spoke about going on vacation with my family and the importance of nurturing relationships and creating memories. We have been home for a week now, and I’ve had time to reflect on some of the lasting impressions that were made on this trip.

One that comes to mind is when one of the kids dragged me off of my lounge chair and insisted that I help her make a sand castle. Considering that we lacked any sort of proper digging tools other than a plastic spoon, we decided it would be better to make an object out of the sand, and agreed on an alligator. Once the preliminary outline was etched into the sand, I began the task of carving out the outline of our soon-to-become masterpiece.

As I was digging my hands into the well-packed, dampened sand, I couldn’t help compare what I was doing on a sunny beach in Punta Cana to my work. It seems almost impossible to do something well, especially if you don’t have the proper tools.

Not to disappoint, I persevered with the same tenacity our team of professionals do at RealtySites PLUS™. I used that plastic spoon to carve out the intricate details to our giant sand sculpture and my bare hands to do the grunt work of digging and piling what seemed to be endless amounts of dampened sand. In the end, it occurred to me that I had the right tools after all.

At first glance a plastic spoon seems like the unlikely tool to create a great sand sculpture, but it worked. The same can be said of REALTORS®’ marketing strategies: a website doesn’t seem to be the first choice for many REALTORS®, because billboards and print ads seem flashier, and as a result many would think a more effective marketing tool. We know from recent statistics that the best way for REALTORS® to market themselves is with a strong internet presence and lead-generating website.

Just like the spoon I used to build a great sand sculpture, you can carve out more business than you ever thought possible with the right website and online tools to captivate consumers and cultivate leads (which of course result in closing more sales).

All it takes is a little time and effort, and before long you will amazed by what you’ve accomplished, just as I was with what I created using one little plastic spoon on the beaches of Punta Cana!

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

I can’t believe it’s already Mid February. The Olympic Games are in full swing and I’m counting down the days to my much-needed family vacation. That’s right, I’m taking the whole family – and the kids are more excited than Christmas morning!  I must be crazy because a vacation with kids is far from relaxing, but it is great bonding time, and I’m all about building relationships through good times and having those memories to reflect upon.

Speaking of reflection, I was back in Ottawa (the Canadian capital) last week for business. Terry LeClair, our CEO, had a speaking engagement on internet strategies and web technology, and the following day we were involved with a tradeshow for Royal LePage. It turned out to be a productive four days, and even though travel can be exhausting at times, I absolutely love my job, so it hardly felt like work.

Rob & Sebastian at Royal LePage Ottawa Tradeshow, Feb 2010

The best part of my job is when I’m able to solve a problem for a potential client; for me it’s about more than selling a great product, it’s about building relationships – much the same as with my family. Many Realtors nowadays are struggling with their web strategy, and most progressive-thinking agents recognize that they need a dynamic website to captivate the online consumer, but that’s where it ends.

If you’ve ever been in the market for a home and found yourself meandering through some Realtors’ static business-card-style website, you’ll appreciate how frustrating the experience can be. If this is a point of frustration for the online consumer, it’s a serious concern for the Realtor who’s hoping to captivate an audience with a sub-par website. When I demonstrate the power of RealtySites PLUS™ in captivating the consumer, communicating with clients and cultivating new leads, I get a sense of satisfaction that makes my job an absolute pleasure.

As I prepare to embark on what probably won’t be a very relaxing vacation, I’m looking forward to spending time with my family, but will be happy to get back to work because of the relationships I have there as well.

See y’all in a couple of weeks!

Rob

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

Something for nothing is a term we’re all familiar with, and most of us realize that you really can’t get something for nothing. However you can get something of value for almost nothing.

Let me be more specific with my analogy of the term: you own and operate a vehicle. You expect that, for a certain amount of dollars each month, you can have your vehicle of choice. This comes with a hefty price tag, often in the form of monthly payments of several hundred dollars, plus the cost of insurance, gas and maintenance. In the case of realtors – who absolutely need a vehicle to conduct their business – it’s considered part of the cost of doing business. Not exactly something for nothing.

By comparison, today’s Real Estate professional is well aware that close to 90% of their clientele is beginning and ending their search for a home on the internet. They’re looking at Realtors’ websites and other online resources. So why is it that many Agents have such a hard time accepting and adapting to internet technology? Shouldn’t a decent website be considered the cost of doing business as well?

We already know that it’s crucial to have a website because that’s where your buyers and sellers are going to find you. More importantly, you want to create a positive experience for your online consumer in order to create a “sticky” environment that will captivate them and keep them returning to your site so you can incubate them and convert them into clients. Why is it that agents recognize how significant a website is to their business, just as a car is, yet they aren’t willing to spend the dollars required to have a product that conveys a positive image while at the same time providing a great online experience to the consumer?

Most products out there are available for a low monthly fee, and in the case of RealtySites PLUS™, you get a ‘million-dollar product’ that costs less than $50 per month. Compare that to my car scenario which costs several hundred dollars per month to own or lease: which do you think is a better value?

A car is essential for your lifestyle; I present the argument that a website is just as essential for your real estate business in order to create an enticing online experience for consumers and to generate leads.

When you look at a website with the tools and features to captivate your consumer like RealtySites PLUS™, remember that you’re behind the wheel of a Maserati – for the price of a Honda Civic.

You can have a beater car, but when you’ve got the best at a low cost, which would you rather drive?

Rob Matton, Director of Sales

I’m often asked by new recruits, “What’s the one thing takes up the most time for a Realtor?” Or, I hear Realtors complain about the dreaded time-waster: showing feedback.

Back in the day, it was just plain courteous to give an agent good quality feedback on a property they had listed and I had shown. But, as the saying goes, that was then – this is now.

Now, the sellers’ agent seems to think that providing feedback is passé; or worse, too demanding of their time. And, sometimes trying to track down and get feedback from the showing agent by phone is a greulling experience. This is a dilemma that has numerous drawbacks and implications. First, feedback sheds some light on possible objections buyers are experiencing while seeing the property. This information could help us eliminate that objection(s) and create a more saleable listing, and assist in a short days on market sale. Providing feedback to the seller also increases our value proposition and helps justify our commissions. The bottom line is, just do it!

Having a quality feedback system is crucial in developing a good value proposition and creating great time-management. RealtySites PLUS™ has taken the pain away for you, with a state-of-the-art automated feedback system. When you have a showing, you click 4 buttons; listing, feedback form, office and agent then submit. The showing agent then receives an auto-generated feedback form with multiple questions, and room for comments. When submitted, the form goes out every day for the next 3 days. Once the agent responds, you’re notified by email, and all you have to do is approve the feedback. It’s then automatically added to a secure area that the seller accesses online from any computer, called “Client Corner”. The seller reads the feedback, and voila! You’ve done your job efficiently and effectively. The great thing about RealtySites PLUS™’ Feedback Manager is that you can also customize and edit the feedback form or create your own in seconds.

To find out more about this and many other great time-saving features, go to www.RealtySitesPLUS.com and sign up for one of our free webinars. It will be the best 1 hour you’ve spent online in a long time.

TLC, President & CEO

I’d like to preface this post by saying that I’m not a Realtor®, but I work with them every day, and I have a lot of friends and even a few family members that are. One thing I’ve noticed is that even though realtors recognize the importance of technology and how it can improve their business and customer/client satisfaction, they have a tough time embracing it. Which is why decided to write my blog entry in the tradition of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck if…”

Please don’t be offended by my analogies, they’re meant to be harmless fun!  Here goes.. .

You Might be a Realtor® if:

You sleep more hours than you work!

You take so many vacations you have to notify your clients when you’re actually working

You think school teachers have the “Dream Job”

You think Google is when old men stare at a pretty women

The internet is a new fishing device

Social Media is when you yell at your TV during the hockey game

You’re almost positive Twitter is a sign of marital problems, and you hope you never catch your spouse tweeting on you!

A search engine is a futuristic car that finds where it left you in the parking lot

You still think being a “Geek” isn’t cool

Blogging sounds like something you should only do in the privacy of your own home

“Going viral” Has something to do with H1N1

Ok, I admit I was having a little fun at your expense, but I was only joking . . . about most of my comments, anyway.

The truth is many Realtors® tell me they’re just too busy to get serious about the internet or having a great website, but recognize they have to do something about it. My only question to Realtors® reading this blog is, when exactly will you invest a little time to get started letting today’s technology work for you? A little time spent now equals big payoffs down the road – and it’s not a long road.

It’s never too late to embrace technology and start using it to your advantage. I guarantee you’ll get more done in less time and make more money in the process, but don’t take my word for it. Let RealtySites PLUS™ be your ‘geek angel’, and only the first two entries of “You might be a Realtor® if…” will apply to you!

Cheers,

Rob Matton

Director of Sales

RealtySitesPLUS