When you visit Megan’s business page on Facebook, you are greeted by a “Join My List” tab.

Megan’s execution of this represents good modern marketing for several reasons:

• Seamless lead capture:  There is seamless lead capture right into her database.  If consumers sign up for her list on Facebook, they are automatically added to her constant contact database list.  No need for her to do data entry into her email list.
• Welcome message:  Megan has customized the message that appears on the tab to tell her customers exactly what they get if they sign up with her.
• Landing tab of her Facebook page.  This is the tab you arrive at if you aren’t already a fan of her page (in other words, if you haven’t already clicked the “Like” button on her page).  Megan has changed a setting on her Facebook page to make this lead capture form the default landing tab, or welcome tab, for people who visit her Facebook page.

Adding a Lead Capture Tab to Your Page:

Many major email marketing companies offer this functionality for your official Facebook page.  First, you’ll need to have an account with a major email service provider. Then, there are two options for installing this kind of functionality on your page:

1. Install a Facebook app on your page. This is the simplest option. Many major email service providers have created a Facebook app that you can install and configure on your page in a few clicks.  This is what Megan has done with Constant Contact’s Facebook App.  Another example is from Pixel Coaching which has used Mail Chimp’s Facebook App.  Contact your email service provider for directions and a link to install the app on your page (they will likely have a blog post explaining how to do this).  Alternatively, you can search for the app in the search bar on Facebook.
2. Use FBML to have a form coded on your page.  This is the techier of the two options and most agents will need the assistance of a coder/vendor to accomplish this.  The level of visual customization on your tab is increased when you go this route.  You’ll need the “embed code” for your sign up form from your email provider and then you’ll need to a custom FBML tab on your Facebook page that incorporates this code into your custom tab.

Applause Worthy:

In a business like real estate, where there is a long time between purchases, email marketing to your customer base and prospects is an important, if not key component of a modern real estate agent’s business strategy.  Agent Applause has previously highlighted good examples of Realtors doing this (see post on Richard Silver).  Not covered in that post was the process of lead capture – how are people getting onto your email list?  Best practices dictate that your email list should be opt in on the part of the consumer – people should give you permission to market to them by signing up for your offering.  There are many leading email providers that Realtors use to manage this process (Constant Contact, MailChimp, AWeber, VerticalResponse, iContact, etc) and often this is done via a form that appears on the agent’s website or blog.  But, with the explosion of social media in the past few years, your website is no longer the only place consumers digitally connect with you.  Megan recognizes this and has well positioned herself to benefit from this new avenue of consumer attention.  As a result, we applaud Megan for keeping up with modern marketing.

Dru’s photo is successful for many reasons:

• It is professionally shot – Dru paid to have this portrait taken by a professional photographer. Invest in a good head shot from a photographer who can capture the essence of who you are.  In Facebook and Twitter, Dru describes herself as “Realtor, blogger, Creative, strategic, collaborative, effective, connected.  Energetic, healthy, happy. Tad irreverent. Focused. Fun.” This photographer is spot on with Dru.
• It is cropped asymmetrical and square – The asymmetrical nature of the crop makes the photo interesting.  The image is has also been cropped square which is important for most online sites which display your profile photo in a square format (vs. the rectangular format associated with most real estate print advertising).  Free sites like Picnik.com can help you to crop your photo.
• There is color, but it is one color – She is wearing blue, which really pops out at you. It is also a solid color and the only color that is in the shot. The background the photographer selected is a different shade of blue which gives the photo some contrast not only against her, but also against the white backgrounds of sites like Facebook, her blog, and Flickr.
• It looks like her – I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Dur at RE BarCamp Phoenix and her photo looks just like her. The real magic in social media is the deepened connections you get with people offline as a result of the relationship development you do on-line with them. Make sure they aren’t walking right by you when you run across them out in your community at the grocery store or soccer game because they don’t recognize you from your avatar.
• It is not business formal, but its professional, and consistent with who she is.  Social media marketing can be far more casual than Realtors may be used to in their print marketing. This is based in the authenticity that is often associated with success in the medium (which is really the key here). Your photo should reflect your authentic self. If your authentic self is always in a suit and tie, then business formal for your avatar may be the best way for you to go. But know that professionalism can be conveyed with less formal clothing and Dru’s image is an outstanding example of this.

I often discuss with Realtors that whatever they choose to do on line, they should be visually consistent (see my presentation from Inman’s Agent Reboot on Managing Your Content and Reputation on the Web). The consistency builds trust and paints a picture about your level of professionalism. Agent Applause has covered this topic before with our review of Walter Burns who has invested in a strong visual branding that is reflected across all his online sites (and a few off line as well). What Walter has done requires a financial investment that not all Realtors may be prepared to make (despite its effectiveness). Much of the same effect can be gained for free (or the cost of a professional photo), by simply using the same avatar across all web sites that you are on. This is what Dru has done. When dealing with social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr, the only real choice you have in terms of visual consistency is your photo selection – and Dru presents this same photo across all of the web properties that she is involved in.

Following are screen shots of her online web presence – as you can see, it paints a picture of consistency:

For the minor investment of a professional head shot, this is something that any Realtor can do to best position themselves in the world of social media marketing.  Great applause go out to Dru for her outstanding execution.

In light of Ted’s “techie-ness” it was a tweet from Ted about an off-line success that caught my eye – Ted Tweeted:

Half the people at my open house today know about my real estate blog

In  light of Joel Burslem’s recent post on The Death of the Real Estate Blog, the blog recognition from Ted’s open house attendees certainly seems a good sign for Ted’s visibility and blogging efforts.  So I asked him what he thought contributed to that and his response and overall strategy is what elevated him to be the focus of this Agent Applause.

Ted tells people about his blog when he meets them:

When I had my card out, I always tell them that I write a real estate blog for Simi Valley.

When I door knock, I pitch my blog way before talking about their house.

It doesn’t get less techie than this!  Who needs Google when you can simply TELL people in your area about your blog.  When he meets a prospect he tells them:

I write a blog about Simi Valley.  There is lots of detail information there about market conditions, what’s selling, what’s not selling, tips on how to deal with things as a homeowner which affect your ability to sell the house.  This is a place where you can get your questions answered.

All prospects need to know is the URL, and Ted is making sure they have it.  His blog is the top piece of contact information on his business card and when paired with the verbal pitch for his blog, he is gaining readership.

Most people are interested in homes or market conditions or community information, even if they are not actively buying or selling.  Ted’s blog provides him a non-salesy, value added way for local people he meets every day to get information they are interested in.  He provides them a resource to satisfy their curiosity while concurrently branding himself as the expert providing the information.  With content that has been built up over the two years that Ted has been blogging, he has created not only an online resource that reflects the evolving state of the real estate market in his community, but also an online resume reflective of Ted’s expertise and perspective.  Prospects in all stages of the buying process are able to research Ted and have a context for him that provides a basis for conversation when he meets them face to face, for example, at his open house.

Comment Blogging on the Local Newspaper’s Website:

Ted uses the local paper’s on line website to comment on articles that are reaching a local Simi Valley audience.  This strategy is referred to as comment blogging and Ted invests time responding to real estate and community related news stories from the Ventura County Star.  In his comments, he is sure to leave a URL with a link back to his blog.  The link back to his blog gives people a place to research him further if they are interested in who this guy is who commented on the paper’s story.

Again, this strategy provides Ted an opportunity to articulate his real estate expertise and perspective and gives readers of the online newspaper an opportunity to interact, debate, and research him.

Regardless of if you are a blogging Realtor, this is an interesting strategy that can yield some visibility for you.  Don’t have a blog?  What about a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook business page, or a bio on your brokerages website?  Any of these can act as a link to use in a blog commenting strategy on websites targeted to your local community providing a place for people to learn more about you.

Blogging Evolved

Often blogging is discussed as a marketing effort in itself.  But what Ted has done, is create a marketing strategy in promotion of his blog.  The blog in itself isn’t just a marketing tool, it is a container for showcasing his expertise.  As a result, the blog becomes not only a resource for the community that he can use as an approach with prospects he meets, but also an online resume supporting his career as a real estate professional.

Favorable search engine placement is an often talked about benefit of blogging and if you Google “Ted Mackel” his blog is #1 in the results (that’s good).  But is Google what helped Ted receive 50% awareness about his blog at his open house?  I’m certain it didn’t hurt, but based on Ted’s discussion with the open house visitors, it appears that his locally based marketing practices detailed above are paramount to the level of recognition that he and his blog are receiving.

Important to note is that this isn’t a flip-the-switch and have success kind of strategy.  Ted has been blogging for two years, has handed out thousands of cards, knocked on hundreds of doors, left dozens of blog comments, and held countless open houses.  His success is the result of hard work, persistence, and execution on an underlying strategy that integrates his on-line and off-line efforts in order to showcase his local market and real estate expertise.  It’s creative, effective and definitely worthy of applause.

Noteworthy about the video strategy are the following:

• The videos are high quality and well produced. At the same time, they are not over produced. They don’t appear “slick” – they are professional and real.
• There is diversity in the content of the videos. Although there are a significant amount of properties that are showcased in video on the site (which is logical for a real estate brokerage), the subject matter of the videos is far beyond listings. This depth of content allows Halstead to meet not only the needs of its sellers, but also that of its buyers who want area information, lifestyle information, and market information. The site features channels with videos showing:
  • Agent Biographies
  • Neighborhoods
  • Developments
  • A “How To” series which educates the consumer on features found on the ProperTV site
  • A “Behind the Numbers” a quarterly market update show hosted by Halstead’s Chief Economist which interprets the numbers for the consumer, and Real Access which showcases the lifestyle, people and events of New York City.
• The syndication of the videos includes not only Halstead.com, but also YouTube, Google Video, the Facebook Official (Fan) Page for Halstead Properties, and WellcomeMat.com. These syndication partners are certainly a great way to help garner views. And views are an important consideration in Googles algorithm – as Forrester points out in its post on The Easiest Way to a First-Page Rank on Google post.
• Video is very SEO friendly. A March 10^th, 2010 article on Tech Crunch states that: Forrester Research found that videos were 53 time more likely than traditional web pages to receive an organic first-page ranking (on Google). As YouTube is owned by Google, Halstead is guaranteeing that their video’s are being indexed by Google by having a YouTube channel. And, as highlighted in the previous point, Halstead Properties video syndication is assisting in getting a large quantity of views which Google says it’s algorithms favors.

Video is certainly an emerging (some might say hot) topic in modern real estate marketing. Halstead ProperTV has done a great job in harnessing the power and presentation of the video media for the benefit of home buyers, home sellers, and the brokerage. It’s an example for our industry to watch and learn from.

Here is why ChicagoHomePartner.com is and effective real estate website:

Website Organization

The content of the site is well organized (an often overlooked element in the website design of Realtors).  More is not always better.  ChicagoHomePartner.com has clear navigation that is not overwhelming to consumers (and has an informative – and cool – rollover feature).  There are apparent (and selective) calls to action on the home page.  The site does not appear cluttered, despite the rich amount of information that is available.

Relevant and Current Content

The content of the site focuses on relevant information that matters to home buyers and sellers.  This includes property search, recent area news, Chicago real estate statistics, home buyer information, home seller information and testimonials about the service that Amanda provides.  It also provides great detailed neighborhood information, presented on a clickable map.

Noteworthy is that even though Amanda is not a frequent blogger (she appears to blog once or twice a month), her site content appears very timely and fresh.  This is due to IDX integration allowing for current listing inventory, a well positioned integration with Yelp on the community detail page which provides local business information and reviews, and the neighborhood explorer which ties to not only current market statistics, but also news stories and area events.  As a result, the content on the site is current and isn’t all up to Amanda to create via blog posts – a big time saver for any Realtor.

WordPress Platform Using Thesis

On a more technical note, the real magic in the site is that it is built in WordPress, which by design, positions the site to perform beautifully in this Google driven era of business (see prior post featuring The Good Life Team which dives deeper into the benefits of WordPress as a platform for building your real estate website).   The site also makes use of the Thesis theme which has a reputation for being one of the most SEO friendly WordPress themes.  ChicagoHomePartners.com is successful in having the feel of a customized site despite being a site built from a theme template.  (One SEO note – The flash images on the homepage is a balance choice between attractiveness and effectiveness.  It doesn’t help the site at all in search engines, but it certainly looks nice.)

ChicagoHomePartner.com is a great example for Realtors who are serious about their web strategy to pay attention to, and it illustrates what is possible with the WordPress website.  It’s a site to be proud of and we applaud you.

Realtors and brokerages interested in modern real estate marketing are turning to Facebook Fan Pages in droves (note:  Fan Pages were renamed to an Official Page with people “liking” your page vs. “fanning” it…but everyone still calls it a Fan Page).  Pages give Realtors an opportunity to build a presence on Facebook and the chance to potentially interact with 400,000,000 active Facebook users.  And, the Facebook Page of The Corcoran Group, a New York based Real Estate Brokerage, is one of the best executed real estate fan page examples I have seen yet.  A new service called Social Page Evaluator, which is intended to help measure Facebook page return on investment, rated the annual page value of the Corcoran site at $25,088 (as of the time of this post) giving us good reason to look at what Corcoran is doing with the page to create an ROI for themselves.

What they do well:

1. Wall Photo:  The Corcoran Group has made great use of the full 200 x 600 pixel image box which appears on the wall of their fan page. They make the most of this 200 x 600 image to reflect the brand image of the company with their avatar, and also educate fans (or “likers”) about their mobile application which is made clear is available through iPhone App Store.  The design of their wall photo also takes into consideration the need for an attractive square avatar that is used next to updates they post on their page wall. Functionally, the avatar is a portion of the same image that is used as the wall photo – The Corcoran Group has taken this into consideration by including a square logo as part of the 200 x 600 pixel image.
2. Active Hyperlinks in the Text Box:  The box below the wall photo has an active hyperlink to their website and to their iPhone app.  They have included the “http://” in their URL which is what makes the link active (an often overlooked tip!).  This text box appears by default on both the Wall and Info tab and can contain any text based verbiage you want.  It is a great spot to express the mission of your company and link to more information.  The Corcoran Group makes good use of this.
3. Lots of Details on the Info Tab: The Corcoran Group has utilized the text box in the “Detailed Info” section of the Info Tab to give address and URL links to all of its branches.  Many times this field is left blank which is a missed opportunity to provide additional details about your business and provide opportunities for fans to learn more about you and your business.
4. Email Sign Up on the Wall:  Utilizing an application by JD Supra, The Corcoran Group has created the opportunity for fans to join their email list directly from the Fan Page Wall.  Very smart.
5. FBML (Facebook Markup Language) – An advanced feature of Facebook best implemented by developers and coders (in other words, most people pay to have this done), this application and coding language allows for some control over the design and layout of fan pages (something that isn’t available on a Facebook Profile).  Corcoran has effectively utilized FBML on their page in the following ways:
   1. Landing Tab:  The Corcoran Group has customized the default landing page that people see (and the name of the tab which reads “The Scoop”) when they go to the page to feature an attractive arrangement of videos which visitors can watch right there on the landing tab of their fan page.  This page serves as the landing tab for all visitors who are do not already Like the page.  Once a Facebook user Likes the page, they are taken directly to the Wall tab on all future visits to the page.
   2. Customized Tabs:  The tab options on the page have been highly customized to reflect the content that The Corcoran Group wants you to see and include:
      • iPhone App Tab:  This highly customized content on this page features a graphic which changes (very eye catching), further details about the iPhone application that they offer, and a strong call to action button “Download for FREE Here”
      • Do More Tab: This tab acts as a launch pad to further Corcoran information outside of the Facebook Page and includes graphic based links to locations such as:
        • The Corcoran website
        • Listing Search
        • You Tube Videos
        • The Company Twitter Accounts
        • The Corcoran Report
        • Open House Information

Supported by frequent content on their wall, the Corcoran Group presents a very effective fan page and it serves as an outstanding example for real estate professionals to learn from when embarking on a Facebook fan page strategy of their own.

As a concluding note, Agent Applause has our own Facebook Fan Page and we’d love to have you as part of our Fan Page Community.  Find and “Like’ Agent Applause on Facebook here!

A visually stunning email landed in my inbox and was the catalyst for this post on the Surterre Properties Best Buys marketing program, a great example of modern real estate marketing.  A boutique real estate brokerage based in Newport Beach, California, Surterre Properties specializes in the luxury real estate market of coastal Orange County.  Local listings deemed to be the “best buys” are submitted by the Surterre Properties Realtors to an in-house committee of agents who actively critique, then approve (or deny) the submission.  This creates a list of properties that reflect the best value in the market in the opinion of the committee.  The committee selects between two and seven properties for the list and properties may or may not be listed by Surterre Properties. The list of selected properties are then posted to the Surterre Properties website and a call to action email is distributed weekly via email to the Surterre Properties agents who then forward the email to their clients and own email lists.  The company tracks the sales rate of properties on the best buy list and states on their site that the program “…boasts a 71% sales success rate”.

Why Surterre Properties Best Buys Program is Effective:

1. It meets the need of the consumer:  No matter what the market, what buyer isn’t looking for the absolute best deal out there?  No matter what the market, what seller isn’t looking to be positioned as the first one to sell, the one everyone else says is a great buy?  The best buy program provides relevant content, created by a credible team of real estate professionals, that the consumer is very interested in hearing.
2. Visual execution:  The tightly guarded brand imagery of Surterre Properties is brilliantly executed through the email that is sent out.  It is hard not to look at it. The visual design is one of the best in the business.
3. Exclusivity:  Properties are turned down.  The committee says “no”. There has to be a compelling reason or reasons why the listings are chosen as a best buy or they don’t make the list.  (Think of the side effect for agents whose properties are declined for the program, providing them ammunition for gaining price reductions from their sellers – “Mr. & Mrs. Seller, a committee of experienced real estate professionals agreed that although a good deal, your property is not the best value out there.  If it was listed at “x”, the committee indicated your property would qualify for the best buy list.”)
4. Brand agnostic:  Properties don’t have to be Surterre Properties listings.

Opportunities for Improvement:

Interesting to note, there is no subscription opportunity on the Surterre Properties website for consumers to register for the Best Buy’s distribution list (in my opinion, a missed opportunity for the brokerage to build its database).  It is up to the agents to forward the weekly best buys email to their own clients and email lists.  So, as a consumer, in order to receive the weekly best buys email, you have to be forwarded the email from a Surterre agent.  This might be fine if there was some communication on the site letting consumers know how to get added to the list. As of this post however, I only find a button on the home page which lets you navigate to the current best buys – it’s certainly pretty, but there is no call to action, and, the best buy’s program is not part of the main navigation of the site.  So if a user misses the button on the homepage (which falls below the fold on my 1280 x 800 pixel laptop monitor), they are not likely to find the program at all.

In addition, there is no easy opportunity to subscribe to the best buys list in a feed (or RSS) form on the website (the listings are presented as a page, not a post).  Surterre Properties does appear to create a post on the Surterre Blog and send an out a weekly best buy update announcement through twitter, but it required some digging on the site for me to find both these options, and the blog does not have a “Best Buys” category for easy reference.  It is not easily possible for the consumer see prior Best Buy weeks, browse prior properties that made the list, nor subscribe to the content that the brokerage is providing without having to ask a Surterre Realtor to be added to their distribution list.  This must have an SEO impact too (any SEO’s care to weigh in?).  It seems that the brokerage could be benefiting if the weekly best buys were presented in a post (that included the content of the best buys, not just a link to the page on the website) that was archived the next week, versus a page that appears for one week and then is gone the next.

However, in summary, where this program really shines is two-fold:

1. It has valuable content that consumers want.
2. The visual execution of the campaign is unparalleled, professional, and consistent with the brand image of the company.

As a result, the Surterre Properties Best Buys program is a great modern marketing program that is certainly worthy of Agent Applause.

Disclaimer:  Although I no longer sell real estate, I want to disclose that my active real estate license currently hangs at Surterre Properties and I am a raving fan of the marketing that this company produces.

Today I attended Real Estate WordCamp in Denver, CO where I presented a session designed to highlight real estate websites that are built on WordPress.  Following is the slide deck from my presentation. If you are a Realtor looking to build a web presence, all of the examples in the slide deck are great foundations for ideas. And all are built on WordPress as the underlying development platform and are worthy of applause:

One of the sites that I used in the presentation (www.GoodLifeTeam) was featured in an earlier AgentApplause.com post where I express why I think that WordPress is THE development platform for today’s Realtor.  As the slides show, there are a few Realtors who agree and are doing some great sites.

Do you know some great Realtor sites that are built in WordPress?  Let us know by leaving a comment with a link to the site in the comments.

In a recent post by Stefan Swanepoel, he asks “Is Print Finally Dead?” and writes that (bold added for emphasis):

Ninety trillion emails were sent in 2009 – that’s 247 billion per day. Twitter send 27 million tweets per day, You Tube serves up one billion videos per day and Facebook enjoys 260 billion page views per month. No wonder the Internet is redefining every industry, including real estate brokerage.   Real estate professionals have to redefine what they do and how they do; where they find their customer and how they stay in contact with them.

Many progressive Realtors® have and continue to adapt every day uncovering new ways to use the Internet in their profession.

Auburn, Virginia Realtor Heather Elias is one of those progressive Realtors.  She is an active blogger and has figured out a smart way to utilize old school marketing to support her modern marketing efforts.  Instead of using her local paper to advertise listings, she promotes her blogs.

There are many reasons why Heathers newspaper ad strategy is worthy of applause.

First, Heather’s ad is a soft sell.  The call to action is very different from ads which feature listings and promote the phone number of the Realtor in order for readers to get more information.  Nobody has to call her.  If readers are in the information gathering stage, they can simply go to her site and learn about her.  They can subscribe if they choose to. This allows Heather to incubate leads that aren’t ready to work with, or contact an agent.  It gives her an opportunity to brand herself over time.  She is able to attract the “real estate curious” – those who sit at home or in the local coffee shop and want to read the paper, browse the real estate section, keep an eye on the market.

In addition, we know that real estate is a local business.  Heather is brilliantly utilizing a technology with no geographic boundaries (the internet) to reach a hyper-local audience (the newspaper readership), giving her the best chance of appealing to her most likely customer – people familiar with, and most interested in, her community.

Third, the effectiveness of her ad is trackable.  By using Google Analytics on the back end of her blogs, Heather is able to see the traffic volume to her site and can see the spike in traffic that resulted from her ad running.  In addition, Heather used a Google Voice number (a free Google service which offers you a unique local phone number that you can have ring to any phone you choose) in the ad.  By having a separate phone number tied to her ad, she is able to know if she is receiving any calls from her print expenditure.

This trackability is a key point for Heather.  She told Agent Applause:

The goal (with the ad) was to drive new readers to both sites, and the increase has happened on both sites in the ad.

The website traffic has been fantastic. I can tell how many people are ‘direct visits’ to the site versus coming in from links or referring sites, and the percentages for those types of visits spiked way up over typical numbers starting the day after the ad, and has stayed that way for a sustained 4-5 days.”

The other interesting thing is that the traffic came between 4 and 8 pm, when people were getting home from work and picking up the paper off the front lawn. It’s a free paper, delivered to all residents of the county.

Also interesting to note is that the ad is always current and therefore doesn’t date itself.  The paper has archives of the publication available on their website and Heather’s ad appears.  Her ad has no listings that will go out of date, or prices that will change.  Her blog URL’s are constant.

In addition, Heather’s print ad reaches a traditional, or old school audience who likely wouldn’t find her on Facebook or Twitter.  This audience may not even know what a blog is, but the do know how to go to a website.  And, they also understand that listing information in the paper is dated.  She has created an ad which is technically unintimidating to an audience who may not be particularly tech savvy or an audience that she could build via promotion online.

Not to be overlooked is the fact that the success of this strategy is closely tied to the level of quality, relevant content that is on Heather’s blogs.  She has the opportunity to capture readers because she is delivering them information that is consistent with what she is advertising in the ad.  She also did a smart thing in writing a post titled “New to LoCoMusings? Welcome!” that was on the home page the day the ad ran.  Again, she has made the process of interacting with her blog unintimidating and welcoming.  This is very appealing to consumers who are both “just looking” and/or uncomfortable with technology.

Heather is smart to understand that although the internet is important in modern real estate marketing, it is not the only thing.  In Heather’s own words:

Truly, I think you can’t totally abandon the traditional marketing methods, true success is finding a way to allow them to complement each other. And in my market area, the really successful listing agents still maintain a print presence, so perception is reality in print!

And, beyond the increased traffic to her sites, Heather has other indicators that her print strategy is successful:

One of my neighbors mentioned to my husband at the bus stop that she’d seen the ad, and mentioned LoCoMusings by name. Not someone that I would have thought was a reader. =)

Heather plans to continue her print strategy…”Especially since they are costing me less than half of what I used to pay for them.”

So although the power of the hyper-local newspaper may be diminished, it has not quite yet disappeared.  Heather Elias has figured out how to effectively utilize this channel for increased visibility for her business.  She didn’t advertise listings, but instead promoted her blogs.  What a smart way to stand out from the crowd and appeal to a local audience.  Kudos to Heather for her strategy.

What exactly IS this guy doing?  That was my reaction when I saw that Vancouver, WA Realtor Dale Chumbley had over 6,000 total fans to his Facebook fan page in 12 days. So what is he doing on Facebook to attract so much fan page love in such a short period of time?  Dale introduces his idea with his first fan page entry:

Day 1 Post:

Today begins a new little project I’m going to attempt. I’ll be posting one new thing to do each day for the next year in Vancouver, WA. Maybe a park to visit. Perhaps a restaurant, fun activity or hidden gem that not a lot of people know about. This will hopefully be a great community resource from the perspective of a lifelong resident who loves his hometown and also a great resource for those looking to relocate to Vancouver.

His process is this:

1. He posts a daily tip to his real estate blog – Clark County Real Estate Guide
2. He posts a link to each of the posts on his blog to a Facebook Fan Page he created:  365 Things to Do in Vancouver, WA.

The concept has exploded creating (at the time of this post) in excess of 6,000 Facebook fans.  And, the bulk of them are local.  Dale provided me the following details about his demographics (one of the benefits of a Facebook fan page – you have access to insights about your fans):

As of February 28, 2010:

Total Fans:  February 28^th = 6,157 fans.

Fans in and around Vancouver, WA: Approx 4,000

Fans in Pacific NW (WA & OR specifically): Approx 1,200

70% Female/30% Male

Ages 18-24:  Approx 2,300 fans

Ages 25-54:  Approx 2,600 fans

What Realtor wouldn’t be happy with that?  He has attracted a local geographic audience, made up of a homebuyer demographic.

In addition, he has seen huge spikes in the traffic to his real estate blog from his Facebook fan page stating:

Over 2,200 specifically clicked through Facebook fan page to get to my blog in the last 12 days.  As a comparison, Facebook sent a total of 33 visitors to my blog between January 1st, 2008 and February 15, 2010.

Before we take a closer look at what Dale has specifically done right with this strategy, it is important to note that his fan page may be against the fan page terms of service, as the Norwegian Olympic Curling Team’s Pants Fan Page found out.  As a result, Dale runs the risk of losing administrative access to his fan page.  But, the idea has still clearly generated a great level of visibility for Dale, and appears to be a year long project that will have an end (maybe before Facebook cares).  And, obviously, there is a consumer interest in what he is doing.  So, it seems it is worth the risk, and, maybe I’m wrong about Facebook shutting him down.  The point is, with this strategy, Facebook fan page administrators are playing in Facebook’s sandbox, and have agreed to their terms of service in order to do so.  This strategy has the potential to be deemed a violation of that, giving Facebook the right to do something about it.

However, if you are considering adding this particular strategy to your marketing plan regardless, here are some things to note about Dale’s execution of his fan page strategy:

1. Dale didn’t invite anyone to the site.  The growth has been organic and become viral as a result of him providing content that is interesting to his local readers, and them spreading the word for him.  In addition, Dale clarified that despite the timeframe overlap with the winter Olympics,  the site “growth did not come as a result of Vancouver 2010 Olympics as he only has 11 Canadian fans”.  This is further evidence that Dale is following the cardinal rule of social media marketing in that he is providing content that speaks to his audience.
2. The posts originate on his personal blog.  This is important because he owns the content. If he first published his post on his Facebook fan page and Facebook decides to shut his fan page down or remove him as an administrator of the fan page, the access to his content would be gone.
3. Because the posts originate on his personal blog, he is getting the SEO credit for them.  I’m not an SEO expert (disclaimer!), but conceptually I understand that the site that original content appears is the source that gets credit with the search engines.  So, even though this has turned into a brilliant Facebook strategy for Dale, it is also helping out his blog SEO with original, hyper-local content.
4. Dale does not sell his real estate services on the Facebook fan page.  In fact, he doesn’t even mention that the site is provided by a Realtor.   On the sidebar of the fan page wall, he does post a great video of himself expressing his “local-ness” to the fan page audience, and telling them who the face behind the fan page is and talk about the concept of the fan page.  But, the point is, his fans don’t feel they are being sold something.  Instead, they are getting something of value from him, that directly supports his expertise as a resource in his market.
5. Dale does have a link to his real estate blog on the information page.  Although he isn’t selling his real estate services, he certainly gives those who are curious to learn more about the face behind the fan page, an outlet to learn more about him by going to his real estate blog.
6. He promotes his fan page from his personal Facebook profile with a link to the fan page URL in the sidebar under his photo.
7. The conversation on his fan page wall is outstanding.  Many of his comments have 20 or more comments.  This level of engagement is important as news feed distribution to all fans is no longer guaranteed, and instead is based partly on the level of engagement that fans have with posts. His strong level of engagement makes it far more likely that his posts will be seen by his fans.

Dale’s strategy is still an outstanding example of modern real estate marketing.  It is creative , unique, and well executed certainly making worthy of agent applause. He is meeting locals and learning new things from the community that contributes to the page.  He is creating conversations and engagement on his page.  No doubt he has gotten his name out with the local crowd.  Congratulations Dale – Agent Applause loves it!

——————

3.19.10 UPDATE

Dale is now 30 days in and up to over 8,000 fans.  And, Dale’s efforts are yielding him real clients.  Dale is working with a buyer he got directly from this strategy.  In his own words:

I’m showing condos tomorrow to a buyer who came to me specifically from 365! They are people who sought me out in public during the First Friday Art Walk last week.  Thanked me for the site.  Emailed me Thursday night (on Day 23) and asked for help.

——————

7.30.10 UPDATE

Dale’s page has become so widely successful (now up to 11,724 fans, 162 days in) that he’s even had a 9 minute documentary produced regarding his strategy and experience with this page.  Check it out!