Reach your customers in a hyper-local Web 2.0 world
I was listening to a podcast the other day by a journalism teacher from New York who had done some research. He found multiple hyper-local bloggers who were clearing over $200,000 per year just by blogging on local news events. Basically, they attended local events and blogged about them and then sold their own advertisements on the site to grab the revenue. This brilliant social media business approach comes back to the difference between what the soon-to-be extinct newspapers are doing now versus the new media — and what’s going to happen from here. There’s not a lack of need for good quality journalism covering quality events and quality news. We still want that reporting! The only thing that has changed is the distribution of that news from newsstand to the Internet, newspaper in hand to blog on the screen.
A good newspaper may clear a million dollars in annual advertising revenue, but a single local blogger could reach $200,000 – $300,000 a year without all that excessive overhead. This new shift has moved the reporting and revenue power to the consumer. It’s going back out to the local person who seizes initiative. The problem is that newspapers cannot grasp the fact that they must actively participate in the social media conversation. It used to be you had to go to the media to get the news, but now that news is being created by everybody else! We’re all sharing the news that’s important to us. Everything is a network now. What our friends are sharing is just as important as national and international breaking headlines. But the old-fashioned newspapers have lagged behind and are just not jumping on board with social networking and new media — a bit late to the Internet marketing party.
How are you going to integrate yourself and your real estate or homebuilder business into this new media? Newspaper advertising is out. That’s not where people are going for news. As you look to media sources and those selling you advertising, remember that consumer behavior is changing. What are you doing to create your own news, to engage in your own conversations with these hyper-local bloggers — the authority figures in your own small market? How can you evolve your homebuilder marketing to incorporate the new media? Think about new and creative ways that you can engage your audience and engage your local market. And get moving!
Managing your Calendar
Even though the Web allows you to connect with your target market faster, you must remember that closings don’t happen immediately. In his sales talks and presentations, Myers Barnes stresses the importance of managing your calendar. What is important to remember is that whatever actions or marketing initiatives you decide to implement now will not garner results immediately. For instance, when you sell a home today, most likely it won’t show the fruits of labor for four to six months. Most new home sales take that long to build, complete, and close, and the closing is where everyone finally gets paid. That is the target point in the process that keeps the business moving forward.
The same calendar pattern holds true for your Internet marketing strategy. Just because you’re ready to start your Internet marketing today doesn’t mean you’ll see an influx of new customers tomorrow. Deciding to create a new website, redesign an existing one, or buying pay-per-click advertising today won’t provide you with results, like closings, for about four to six months.
Consider a new website design. It takes about two to three months to complete the new site. Once it is “live,” plan on another three months to start seeing return on your investment (assuming you’ve invested in SEO and SEM) with new leads. Another month to convert that lead into an appointment and then to a contract. So, on your calendar, you can expect at least a four- or five-month lag time between the launch of the site and a new sale – and that’s if you started today. Any delay in the start of this initiative and a year could pass before you see results. What are you waiting for? Take action now! Create a sense of urgency for implementing your new marketing program.
Managing your calendar is extremely important, especially when it comes to your marketing initiatives, because those initiatives turn into sales and, ultimately, to closings.
The last thing you want is to bring on a bad case of “Analysis Paralysis” This is what happens when you over-analyze the situation or try to make decisions by committee. Be bold and do whatever you can to move the needle in the right direction.
Internet Marketing Seminar with Dallas SMC
Looking forward to speaking the second year in a row at the Dallas Sales & Marketing Council. For all of my Texas friends – be sure to attend on Tuesday June 23rd. Details are below.
Thank you to the sponsors NewHomesDirectory.com and BuilderDesigns.com for partnering on this event. You won’t want to miss out – the first 50 registrants will receive a complimentary copy of Browsers to Buyers (provided by Buildtopia) and there will be $1,000’s in free advertising and prizes to give away. Be sure to let us know you are attending.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas
5816 W. Plano Parkway
Plano, 75093
Click Here for Event Details and to Register >>
Guest Post: How to Use Twitter To Reach A Local Audience For Your Business
By Marie O’Brien
It seems that everyone is talking about Twitter these days, and the top two questions seem to be:
1. What exactly is Twitter?
2. Can I really use this to grow my business?
What is Twitter
We’ve addressed the “what is Twitter” in other blog articles, but I must admit that I’ve found an even better definition than ever before. Yes, it’s microblogging. Yes, it’s social networking. However, the best description that I can provide is that it is a lot like CB Radio. (Those of you who are old enough to remember the CB Radio craze of the 1970’s can appreciate that analogy.) With Twitter, you can reach out and follow people and even jump in and out of their conversations. The people can be complete strangers, but once you find them, it’s easy to connect with them and continue conversations.
How to use Twitter to Reach Local Business
So, the next big question is always “how can I use this for my business?” It is a long-term process to build your Twitter following and it takes time and dedication to use the tool properly. It will obviously be more successful if you can find/follow people (Tweeters) who are in your target audience.
For example, if you sell to a particular geographic area — whether you’re a restaurant or a homebuilder — then you want to make sure that you’re reaching the Tweeters who live nearby. The challenge for many people is just how to find those specific target audience members! It’s not as hard as it sounds, thanks to the great Search tools that Twitter offers.
Here’s a tip on how to use the Twitter search to find those people on Twitter who are based in your local area:
1. After you log into Twitter, go to search.twitter.com
2. Click on “About Twitter Search”
3. From this page, select the “Advanced Search Page” link
4. Next, use the “near this place” field to enter in the zip code of your business, so you can find people from your local area.
5. This form also will help you to narrow down your search to find people by particular keywords or hashtags (the category name is preceded by the # sign, such as #homebuilder).
6. Once you see the list of people who meet your criteria, you can manually click on each one and determine if you want to “follow” them. It’s common Twitter-etiquette that they will in turn ‘follow you back’ so this is a smart way to build your following quickly.
The advanced search tool on Twitter is one of the most valuable tools that you will find to cultivate your “follow” list. Keep in mind that for this to be successful, you need to be an active member of the Twitterverse, providing regular tweets of business related, helpful information (with an occasional sprinkle of personality), so that you’ll give your new pals a reason to “come back” (that’s the CB term for ‘follow you.’)
Now you have it, good buddy. The secret to finding out the Tweeters’ ‘twenty.’ Over and out.
Written by Marie O’Brien, VP of Marketing and Client Services for Blue Tangerine Solutions. Blue Tangerine Solutions is a leading Web site development and Internet marketing firm headquartered in Melbourne, Florida specializing in the homebuilding and real estate industries. Marie O’Brien is a self-described Internet junkie and a fan of social networking. She can be reached on Twitter at @BTSMarie and via eMail to Marie.OBrien@BlueTangerineSolutions.com.
Get Better Results Using Video Email
I wanted to share a tool that will help you stand out from the competition. Video email is an easy way to juice up your follow-up campaigns and get better results.
With a small investment in a webcam and a free account from www.eyejot.com (ad free and customizable 99.00 per year) you can look like a rock star to your prospects and customers. (update, use the DISCOUNT PROMO CODE: techie-talk-proplus to get it at $79 a year. Thanks to Derek Schaire for that one)
Click Here to see the full email message and template or you can view the video below.
What are some ways that you could incorporate video emails? Post your ideas in the comments.
